


Let Me Make a Believer Out of You

by sagely_sea



Series: Fantasy Sheith Week 2019 [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Atlas is a God, Curses, M/M, Mermaids, Mutual Pining, On a Journey, Paladin Shiro, Prince Keith (Voltron), Secret Identity, Side Quests, Trying to stop a war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 08:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18049244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagely_sea/pseuds/sagely_sea
Summary: Keith, the Prince of Marmora, has journeyed to a faraway land to find a way to save his kingdom from destruction by Zarkon. His travels led him to the Temple of Atlas. But instead of leaving with a god's promise for help, he's heading home with Shiro, an Atlas Paladin, at his side.But with all of the trouble they keep encountering, he's not even sure they'll make it on time. There's nothing Keith can do but to keep on with his journey and keep hope in his heart that everything will work out somehow.





	1. A light In The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Fantasy Sheith Week and uh... it got away from me. It's going to end up several chapters long and with many more tags added along the way as Keith encounters various people and obstacles on his journey.

Shiro tugged his cloak tighter around him as he moved along the outside entrance of the temple refilling the lanterns there. He carefully poured in the oil and relit the lamp before moving to the next one that was near the stairs that led down from the temple entrance and to the path that would lead down the mountain to the town a several hours walk away. 

The stairs had been recently swept clean by an initiate but already snow was starting to collect on them. The path that was cleared at least once a day in the winter showed no sign of any fresh footprints and Shiro wondered just how deep it was now. Perhaps they should shovel the path clear before they retired for the night so it wouldn’t be so difficult in the morning. The sky didn’t look like it would stop snowing anytime soon. 

Just as he was about to turn back from contemplating the snow, Shiro saw a light reflecting on it. That was curious. He set down his tools and took a few steps down the stairs to try and see better. 

Yes, that was someone coming toward them. They had to be mad or desperate to try and reach the temple in the dark in this weather. “Hello there, friend! Are you well?” Shiro called out, his voice echoing over the empty plains of snow. 

There was no response for a while and then he heard quiet cursing and could finally make out a figure struggling through the snow that seemed to be up past his knee in the area he was in. Perhaps the temple should consider tending to more of the path more often but they didn’t get that many visitors through the winter months and if they headed into town or supplies they used a sled and dogs. Or wore proper snow shoes which it seemed their visitor didn’t have. 

“Hello? Are you well?” Shiro tried again. Wondering if perhaps the man just didn’t hear him because of his struggles with the snow. 

“Yes. Just… one… moment,” The voice called sounding fatigued. 

Shiro went back to claim a lantern and then moved off the stairs and was immediately hit by the wind as he stepped into the open area. Even as his cloak whipped around him, he moved to the edge of the tended path and waited for the man to get closer, holding up his lantern to help guide the man and to try and see him. He seemed short but heavily bundled. It seemed to be impeding his movements but at least he probably wasn’t suffering from the cold. Shiro had seen too many people lose fingers and toes and would not wish that on anyone. 

“Here, take my hand,” Shiro said holding it out as the man got within reach. A bulky damp mitt fell into his hand and Shiro wrapped his own around it and helped tug the man the rest of the way onto the less snowy path. “Come, let’s get you inside by one of the fires. I’m sure there’s still some soup left over in the kitchens we can warm up, too.” 

“Th-thank you,” The man said. It seemed that now he had reached his goal, his body no longer had the energy to keep him moving. That was okay. Even bundled as he was, Shiro was still bigger and could easily half guide and half carry him up the stairs and into the great hall of the temple. 

When they passed the first initiate who had come out to investigate the noise, Shiro sent him off to go find something warm for their guest to eat. He led them out of the main temple and to one of the smaller receiving rooms that was mostly used by paladins as a games room of sorts in the late evenings once all their tasks were done for the day. 

“Shiro, did you find a stray?” One of the paladins asked as she stood and moved her chair closer to the fire that was roaring away. 

"Thanks Rizavi," Shiro said as he struggled to get the large pack off the man’s back before dropping him less gently than he would have liked into the chair. “And I'm not sure he's a stray but he certainly must have great need for us and Atlas to risk the trek here.” 

“I… do…” 

The words were so quiet that it took Shiro a moment to realize that they’d been spoken at all. He knelt down and began tugging off the man’s gloves. 

“I’m sure you do. But it can wait until you’re dry and warm. And don’t protest. You won’t be able to ask Atlas for anything in the state you’re in right now. Let us care for you and then we can help you with your other problems,” Shiro said firmly but with compassion. 

It looked like the man might object and try to make his way to Atlas’ altar anyway but after a moment he gave a sigh and slumped back in the chair. “Fine…” 

“Good. Kinkade, can you bring me some towels and a bowl of warm water and cloths?” Shiro asked the third paladin in the room. 

“Of course. I’ll be right back,” He said and with a small bow he dashed from the room. 

“What can I help with?” Rizavi asked. 

“Can you bring some blankets? Maybe some dry clothes. I’m not sure what he’ll need.” He’d have to unwrap his guest's many layers to figure out just if any of them were dry or if anything in his bag had survived the march through the snow. 

“Got it. Did you want us to prepare a room?” 

Shiro considered their guest and decided that even if the man was stubbornly on some sort of quest, he could be talked into a night’s rest before heading back down the mountain. “Assign a couple of initiates to air out and prepare a room near mine.”

Rizavi nodded and also gave him a small bow before she turned and left the room, leaving Shiro momentarily alone with their guest. 

“You the head priest?” The tired voice asked. 

“Not at all. No priests work at any temples dedicated to Atlas. Those that serve Atlas are paladins trained in both the holy arts and fighting. Of course, there are initiates still in training and some temples take on extra staff if needed but never priests.”

The man blinked slowly at him as if trying to digest the information and Shiro let him as he tugged off more of his layers. He was surprised to see how small and how young the man beneath all of the winter clothes really was. 

“Strange to have no priests,” The man said as he helped Shiro tug one of the sweaters off and over his head. It seemed that the man’s outer layers had done a decent job at keeping his clothes dry but as Shiro got the sweater free, he saw that the layers closest to the man’s skin were damp from sweat. 

A shiver went through the man’s body as his sweaty clothes were exposed to the room despite the room being warm and the strong heat from the fire. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you warmed up. And I don’t see how having no priests is odd. A paladin is perfectly capable of doing the job of a priest and a knight. And I always thought a temple should offer both spiritual and physical protection to those in need.”

“Huh… I guess…” 

“Shiro. Here’s the towels and the water,” Kinkade said as he stepped into the room, his hands full of what Shiro had requested.

He helped Kinkade settle the water onto the ground without spilling it and then looked at the large stack of towels and cloths he’d brought.

“Do you think we should bring him to the hot springs?” 

“I worry the extreme change in temperature would be more painful than soothing just yet. We’ll see how he’s doing after he eats. But I can handle him.” 

“Are you sure?” Kinkade asked eyeing up the stranger who was now rubbing his arms and staring at the fire. 

“Taking care of those in need is what we do. I don’t mind tending to him,” Shiro said and he grasped Kinkade on the shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze of thanks at his concern. 

“Alright. But let me know if you could use my help.” 

“Perhaps in the morning. But for now, go get some rest. It looked like the storm was going to linger and that means a long day of digging out from the snow.” 

Kinkade frowned a little but didn’t complain about their upcoming tasks. He was a good paladin and took his duties seriously.

“In that case, I’ll check on the outer doors one last time before going to bed. Good night, Shiro.” 

“Good night, Kinkade,” Shiro said and returned Kinkade’s bow with a nod of his head. 

He then turned his focus back onto Keith who had managed to strip out of his damp undershirt while he had been talking. Shiro was impressed that such a skinny frame could have such muscle on it and then wondered just who his guest was when he saw the scars here and there that suggested he was a fighter of some kind or had had very unfortunate experiences travelling in the past. 

Though the knife, firmly tucked in its sheath and attached to a now discarded belt beside the chair, told him that the man had some kind of combat experience. He decided not to comment on the weapon and instead continued to focus on making sure the young man was warm and clean. 

“Here, we’ll clean you up and dry you off. I’d bring you to the baths but I think they’d do more than harm than good right now.” 

“Probably…” The man said and accepted the damp cloth when Shiro passed it to him. 

While the man ran the cloth over his arms and chest, Shiro focused on getting his boots and mostly dry socks off. He did a thorough check of the man’s toes and was pleased to see they were all a rosy red colour and showed no signs of frostbite. He ignored the intense stare he could feel on him and instead reached up to start tugging off the man’s pants. There was a light and expected grumble of protest but then the man lifted up enough to help him get them off. He left him in his undershorts for now because he knew Razavi and the initiate were still to return and he didn’t want to embarrass the young man. 

“Do you have a name? People call me Shiro,” Shiro said as he took the cloth from the man’s hands and dipped it again in the warm water filled with herbs to promote blood circulation and relaxation. 

“Keith…” 

“It’s good to have you with us, Keith. I’m sure you must have an interesting story to bring you out on a night like tonight.” 

“I do. I nee-” He cut off as the door opened again and Razavi entered followed by two initiates each carrying a tray of food. 

“We weren’t sure what he’d be up to eating or when he last ate so we erred on the side of caution. We also added some for you, Shiro,” The initiate he’d sent said. 

Shiro nodded. It was good the initiatives were eager to help and willing to share so much of their food supplies. Though he was sure that Keith would fall asleep well before he finished much of it. He’d see that anything they didn’t eat was returned to the kitchens later. 

“Thank you. That was thoughtful of you. I’ll make sure the trays get back to the kitchens. You two should finish getting ready for bed,” Shiro said kindly. 

“Okay. Good night, Shiro. Good night, Guest. Please feel better,” The older initiate said while the younger only gave a quiet good night to Shiro. They both bowed and then dashed out of the room, already gossiping quietly amongst themselves. 

Shiro shook his head fondly at them and then turned to Razavi. “Did you find some clothes?” 

“I did. But they might be too big. I didn’t expect him to be so tiny under all those layers,” She said. And Shiro could hear the quiet huff of annoyance from Keith. He glanced over at him but he was studiously cleaning off his skin with the cloth and not looking at them. 

“We’ll make it work. Before you go, could you bring his clothes to the laundry?”

No problem. And don’t worry…” 

“Keith,” Shiro supplied. 

“Keith, we’ll have all of these cleaned and dried and ready for you by the time it’s safe to head back.” 

Keith didn’t protest Razavi taking his clothes away and Shiro took it as a good sign. It meant that he trusted them enough with his things and that he was likely willing to see reason and stay where it was safe until the storm had passed. 

Once they were alone again and not expecting any more disturbances, Shiro shed his own outer cloak and gloves before tossing another log on the fire. “There we go. Now let’s get you cleaned up and changed into something warm. Then we’ll see how much you can eat.” 

Keith grumbled a little but as Shiro knelt once more at his feet to start cleaning his legs of sweat and dirt from travel, he felt those eyes on him again. He glanced up and Keith looked away with red colouring his cheeks that Shiro didn’t think had anything to do with the heat. 

“Thank you…” Keith said quietly to the wall. 

“You’re welcome. It’s what the temple is here for. Though most visitors do tend to wait for better weather to visit.” 

“I had no choice,” Keith said a bit more force to his voice that Shiro took as a good sign. It meant he still had some energy in him and would probably be able to eat a bit before nodding off. 

“We can talk about that in the morning. For now, you should be thankful that you’re still alive.” 

“Perhaps Atlas was watching out for me,” Keith said. It sounded more like he was testing out the idea than as if he truly believed it.

Shiro gave his knee a pat and looked up until he caught Keith’s eyes with his own. “It’s possible. But even if they weren’t, they certainly are now. No harm will come to you here, Keith.”

Keith nodded and then seemingly unsure what to do next handed over the cloth to Shiro. 

“Do you want me to finish cleaning you or do you think you can handle the last part?” Shiro asked. 

“I can handle it.” 

Shiro wasn’t at all surprised by the answer. Keith struck him as the type of man that would say something like that even if he very much wasn’t able to handle it. But it was a small task and Shiro understood that some people could be shy so he rinsed the cloth in the water and passed it back over to Keith. He then left a clean pair of pyjama pants on the arm of the chair before busying himself with everything else the others had left for him. He kept his ears trained on Keith and tried to keep him in the corner of his eyes as much as possible. 

The last thing he needed was Keith tumbling and falling into the fire. That wouldn’t be good for Atlas’ reputation at all. Nor would it be good for Keith. Shiro had a feeling that despite getting lucky with the cold, Keith wouldn’t have the same success with the fire. 

“Alright,” Keith said just as Shiro heard him flop back down onto the chair with an exhausted sigh. 

“Good. Now, let’s soak your feet for a moment and get you bundled back up in some dry clothes.” 

Shiro passed over the undershirt, overshirt, and sweater, none of it was fancy but they were comfortable and warm enough to wear as pyjamas. He then knelt back down and carefully moved the bowl to Keith’s feet and lifted them up and into them. 

Keith hissed as his toes made contact but Shiro didn’t let him pull them away. “I know it feels hot, but I promise you that it’s not. Your feet will thank me for this in the morning,” Shiro said. And after a couple of minutes, Keith’s feet relaxed into the water and Shiro stood back up. “Now. Are you hungry?”

“I could eat…” Keith said, looking even younger in the large clothes. 

“Good. Let’s see what the eager initiates brought us.” Shiro offered Keith the hot stew and some crusty bread and even cajoled him into eating some fruit. He ate some himself to keep Keith company since he seemed a little awkward when eating alone. He also took the opportunity while Keith ate to quietly explain a bit more about the temple and the paladins within it. 

By the time Keith was finished his food he was more asleep than awake and while tempted to let Keith rest, Shiro knew a bed would be better for him. “Come on. I know you think you could sleep there but a bed will be much better for you,” Shiro said. 

He helped a sleepy Keith dry his feet and put on some slippers and then reached out a hand. When Keith took it, he tugged him up to his feet and placed a hand on his shoulder until he was sure Keith was steady. 

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble,” Keith said, his sentence ending with a wide yawn that seemed to embarrass him. 

“You’re no trouble at all. Like I explained, taking care of those in need is what the temple is here for. Come, let me show you to your room. And I’ll explain some rules.” He placed one of the blankets Rizavi had brought around Keith's shoulders to keep him warm in the cooler halls and then grabbed Keith’s pack from the ground and waited a moment to make sure that Keith could walk on his own before leading the way. 

“I know you are armed and I won’t ask you to give me your weapons or make judgement on why you have them. I understand that travelling can be dangerous. But while you’re in these walls, you’re a guest here. And I will warn you not to cause trouble.” 

“I got it. Paladins are priests and knights all wrapped up in one pretty package,” Keith muttered. 

“Atlas also protects their own. Don’t think any mischief will be unknown. But you’re also a guest and not a prisoner. If you need anything just make your way to the main temple. There’s always someone there. You’re also free to explore the public areas but please don’t go into anyone’s private quarters. If you need anything before dawn, my room is there.” Shiro pointed to a door that was slightly more decorative than the ones around it and easy to identify. 

“Okay. I promise I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m just trying to stop it.” 

“I believe you. Here is your room. I think everything you need should be inside. Take your time in the morning. You have no reason to keep to temple time.”

“Alright,” Keith said. He opened the door to his room and peered inside of it, the fire giving the room a cozy glow and warmth. Shiro passed him his bag and Keith took it, the weight of it seemed close to toppling him over but somehow he stayed on his feet.

“May you find peace in your dreams, Keith,” Shiro said and carefully reached out to cup Keith’s face in his hands and pressed a gentle kiss to his brow. 

Keith sucked in a breath and tensed lightly but allowed the touch and when Shiro pulled away, Keith had his eyes closed as if he was savouring the gentle touch or perhaps memorizing it to remember in the future. 

“Th-thanks. Should I…” 

“A simple good night is fine,” Shiro said with a soft smile. Their guest was certainly mysterious and rough around the edges but Shiro thought he was also kind and charming in his own way. 

“Right. Uh… Good night, Shiro. I hope you have good dreams, too.” Cheeks once again tinting an interesting red shade, Keith gave a final nod and ducked into his room, the door closing swiftly but quietly. 

Shiro stayed in the hall and listened for a moment longer, making sure Keith was settling in well and when Keith didn’t reappear or make any loud noises from having troubles in his room, Shiro turned and headed back down the hall to tidy everything up. It seemed tomorrow was not going to be nearly as monotonous as he had thought only hours earlier. Sometimes it was nice being wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much happened in this chapter but Shiro took over the pov and wouldn't let it go. I gave away a bit of the plot in the summary, but next chapter we will see Keith ask Atlas for help and just how he ends up setting out with Shiro.
> 
> I think since this story is ending up getting quite long, I may cheat and add in more of the Fantasy Sheith prompts into it and leave my other ficlet ideas for another time.


	2. Time to Pray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro helps Keith pray to Atlas and finds out just why Keith had risked it all to reach the temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do this from Keith's pov but Shiro was still enjoying his temple time so he sort of stole the story from me. orz

Shiro was next to one of the braziers that were dotted around the main temple during the winter months as he taught a small group of initiates their morning lesson. Their usual instructor had caught a cold so Shiro had offered to teach them. 

“Alright, so now that everyone is relaxed and focused on their energy I want you to picture drawing it close and forming it into a ball in the centre of your chests,” Shiro instructed. 

He watched his students closely, looking with his inner sight to see how their energies pooled or didn’t pool in their chest. With the girl that was struggling, he reached out and placed the tips of his finger over her sternum. “Do you feel my hand, Sarah? I’m pulling your energy toward it. I want you to move all your energy toward my touch,” Shiro said. He did nothing more than leave his hand there but it seemed enough for her to focus her energy on it and move it toward him. 

He let go of Sarah and stepped back to exam each student again. Satisfied that everyone now had their energies condensed together he moved onto the next step. “Now, we want to draw that energy out of us and into our hand. Like a small ball of light ready and waiting for us,” Shiro said. He then focused on his own energies for a moment and pulled out just a portion of it to create a glowing ball in his hand. 

“Wow,” One of the boys said. 

“It is quite amazing the first time you do it and at this point in your training, I know all of you can do it, too.” These initiatives had been doing their formal paladin training for over a year now but so far it was focused on discipline and book learning. Only recently had they switched to meditating to get to learn their bodies and energies within them. Today was their first lesson where they would manipulate and see that energy and the excitement and awe of witnessing their own powers for the first time was why Shiro had volunteered to teach the lesson. 

“Let me show you one more time. Watch closely and open your eyes and mind to see and feel what I’m doing.” Shiro let the ball fade away and dispersed his energies before once more drawing them close to his chest and then pushing out some of that power into his hand. The initiates would probably need to push most of their energies outside of them to achieve the same effect but they would learn to use less and less of it as their training progressed. 

Just as they were about to start, Shiro noticed a couple of paladins moving across the hall at a fast pace and turned to see them heading toward Keith. His hair was still sleep-tousled and it looked like he was in a mix of the clothes lent to him and his own with an initiate’s winter robe thrown over top of the outfit. It looked fairly ridiculous but cute on their guest. And while he wanted to go over and greet him and see how he was doing and if he was ready to talk to Atlas about his troubles, he had a responsibility to his students first. 

“Who’s that?” One of them asked as they all noticed where Shiro was looking. 

“A guest. He arrived last night. He’s come to ask for Atlas’ help.” 

“He must really need help to come all this way in the storm. Will Atlas help?” Sarah asked. 

“I’m not sure what he needs help with. But hopefully, he will leave here with something that will help him since he risked so much to reach us. Now, are we ready to focus?” Shiro asked before they could get further off topic. 

The initiates looked at Keith a bit longer but as he was led out of the hall, they lost interest in him and turned back to Shiro. 

It took a while, but eventually, all five of his students had managed to create a small light in their hand and even move it from one hand to another and disperse it back into themselves with no problem. The next time they did it, it would be easier and he thought he had set a strong foundation for their normal instructor to build on once she was better. 

“Alright. Let’s stop there for today. And while it didn’t seem like you were working hard, I promise you will feel the effort soon. So why don’t you all go down to the kitchens and get a hot drink and snack before your next lesson starts? Tell them I sent you if anyone gives you trouble,” Shiro said. 

The frowns at having their lesson finished were immediately replaced by smiles at being told they could get a snack from the kitchens. Nobody ever went hungry at the temple but they also didn’t often indulge in snacks. And as young teenagers, extra food and a break to chat with friends were always highly appreciated. 

As they were heading out of the hall, they passed Keith who was on his way back with Kinkade leading him. The initiates all took a moment to stare at him, clearly curious about who would be foolish enough to risk coming in a snowstorm but Shiro was happy that they passed without comment or being too rude. Curiosity was natural and fine but it was important to moderate it with politeness. Shiro considered it a good sign of their training that they refrained from pestering Keith about why he was here and where he was from. 

Though Shiro did hope to find out those answers shortly. “Good morning, Keith. Did you sleep well?” Shiro asked brightly as Kinkade led Keith to him. 

“I uh… yeah… I did,” Keith said as if he was shocked by his answer. 

“Climbing a mountain in the snow will help anyone find a good night’s rest,” Shiro said. 

“And Atlas likes to watch over us and make sure unpleasant dreams are kept at bay,” Kinkade added on. 

“Really? Maybe it was a combination of both of them… speaking of Atlas, do you think you can show me how to pray to them now?” Keith asked. 

“Of course. I’ll show you. Kinkade, thank you for helping Keith with breakfast.” 

Kinkade gave him a nod and then headed off to carry on with his other tasks. 

“Are you sure you won’t be too busy? It’s obvious you’re a higher ranking paladin with how much respect everyone gives you.” 

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t have time. And I find that the higher up you are the busier everyone seems to think you are. In the warmer months when the temple is filled with those seeking Atlas’ aid I’ll admit I’m fairly busy. But in winter months, and especially days like today, I don’t have much to do. I often just help out tending to the lamps and fires and making sure everything is stocked.” 

“Really?” Keith asked, clearly surprised that Shiro would do such menial tasks. 

“Really. Not all tasks are pleasant but all are important to keeping everything running smoothly here,” Shiro said as he started leading Keith out of the main temple hall and toward a smaller room meant for more private prayers and reflections. 

“I guess. But I still appreciate you showing me,” Keith said. 

“You’re welcome. But it’s what the temple and the people in it are for,” Shiro said. He paused outside of a room and lightly knocked on the door before opening. It was empty but someone had been by recently as a small fire was going in the hearth and the oil lantern that provided light to the room was lit and glowing softly. 

Shiro stepped inside and gestured for Keith to come in before closing the door behind them so Keith would have privacy for his prayers. “I’m assuming it’s your first time at a temple for Atlas?” 

“It is. The Marmora Kingdom welcomes all beliefs but my family prefers to pray to Nemea. Though she doesn’t seem to perform the same type of miracles that I’ve heard Atlas capable of doing.” 

“The Lion God?” Shiro asked a bit surprised to hear Nemea’s name. 

Keith nodded. “Legend says she helped the Marmora establish their kingdom and graced the royal family with the wisdom needed to lead their people.” 

“Oh. That’s right. Knowledge or death is the Marmorite motto.” 

“You know it? I haven’t meant many people in this region who know much about Marmora. So I’m surprised a paladin on a mountain temple does.” 

Shiro chuckled at that. He could imagine that most people didn’t have time to learn about other kingdoms or care much about random facts but he’d always been intrigued by learning about various places and the people who lived in them. “There’s a lot of time for reading during the winter months,” He explained. 

“I don’t suppose you found any mention of Nemea in those books? There are so many stories about how she used to help us and give insights to the royal family but we haven’t heard from her in generations,” Keith said. 

“Are you worried about her?”

“Of course. God or not, I think it’s normal to worry about someone when they no longer answer you. Just because she can’t die, it doesn’t mean other things couldn’t have happened to her.” 

“You have a kind heart, Keith. Is that why you’ve come to Atlas? To figure out what happened to Nemea?” 

“No. But now that you mention it, maybe I should… Is it okay to ask Atlas for more than one thing? Or is that too greedy?” 

Shiro gave Keith a soft smile in the hopes it would help him to stop worrying. “Atlas is happy to listen to everything a petitioner has to say. They may not be able to answer every question but sometimes it’s because it’s best if a person finds the answer on their own.” 

“So no limit. But no promise of help or an answer either…” 

“It would be foolish for a god to always promise their help to those who asked for it when some requests could be dangerous or impossible for even a god. I’m sure if what troubles you is a true danger and your request is fair that you’ll be answered,” Shiro said. 

Keith considered this for a moment while looking at the small but still ornate shrine at the front of the room. Finally, he gave a nod and walked slowly toward it. “Do you think the gods know each other?”

Shiro gave a chuckle and shook his head. “I think they all know of each other. But there are numerous gods, especially when you include the minor ones that look after small areas or focus on a small detail of life. But gods have ways of finding out information that mortals don’t.”

“Has Atlas ever spoken to you?” Keith asked, still looking at the shrine as if it could give him some answer to Atlas and his troubles. 

“I have heard Atlas’ voice many times. And I know they’re still interested in the mortal realm and in helping those who live here.” 

“Still interested? Do gods… lose interest?”

Shiro gave a small shrug. “Gods lead long lives. They are dedicated to their work and their people but even gods can grow weary and need a break. Or their attention can be drawn elsewhere for a time. But to gods, what could feel like centuries to mortals is but a mere moment in time.” 

“I never thought about it that way. It’s a little scary to think that we may have taken advantage of Nemea and tired her out so much that she needed a break from us. Or that she got distracted by another kingdom and just hasn’t checked in on us… Don’t you worry that Atlas will do the same to you?” 

“I try not to worry too much about the future. It’s important to live in the moment and take care of the tasks in front of you. There’s no need to borrow trouble, Keith.”

“That’s true. And my mother says that trouble has a way of finding me so I definitely shouldn’t go looking for it.” 

“Perhaps I can set the older initiates a task of making some good luck charms for you for your trip home. It would be good practice for them and it seems like every bit of luck may be needed.” 

Keith gave a small laugh at that and Shiro warmed at being the cause of it. 

“I might take you up on that. If I told you all I went through to get here you’d kick me out of the temple for lying and being crazy enough to think those ridiculous lies would even be possible.” 

“Ah, we better not risk it then. Besides, you have more pressing issues than telling me stories. Though if you have time before you go, maybe you’d share some of your more adventurous tales and we can see how crazy I think you are.” 

“Sure. It won’t matter if you think I’m crazy by then. So…” He looked back to the shrine and the cushions in front of it. “What do we do?” 

“It’s quite easy. The most important part is to be honest and open about what you need and why.” 

“Okay… and do I uh… say it out loud?” 

“You don’t have to. But people find it can help focus their thoughts and keep them on track if they talk out loud as they would to a friend. Even some paladins still prefer to pray out loud as they feel closer to Atlas that way.” 

“And you’re going to be here the whole time?” 

“Only to help guide you through it. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I could wait outside once I show you what to do.” 

“No. It’s okay. It’s not like it’s a super secret. And I don’t know why, but I feel like I can trust you not to think differently of me after. And yeah, I know it’s foolish to trust others so easily but I’ve always had good instincts for it.” 

“I wasn’t going to say anything but thank you for honouring me with your trust. I know it can be hard to earn from some people. I hope I do nothing to lose it,” Shiro said. He was thankful that Keith felt at ease with him and trusted him with this. Because now he was even more curious to learn who Keith was and what had brought him here.

“You’re a paladin, isn’t it like against the law for you to be harmful and stuff?” 

“Not against the law, but certainly frowned on.”

“Good enough. So, what’s first. Do I just sit and talk?” 

“I thought you said you had a god you pray to,” Shiro said with a little laugh. 

“I do! But every god is different, right? I don’t want to offend Atlas.” 

“That’s nice of you considering I’m not sure you’d even heard of Atlas until you started your journey,” Shiro said, hoping to tease a little but from the way Keith flinched back he had missed the mark. 

“Sorry. This kingdom is really far away… and I’ve never had time to read for fun. It’s always been about learning what I need to know.” Keith crossed his arms obviously feeling defensive.

“It’s fine. I didn’t mean to chastise you. It was a poorly timed joke.” 

“Well, it’s not like you’re wrong. And as for Nemea, I don’t know… we had altars and a temple where the priest had services a few times each day. I uh… probably didn’t go as much as I should have… but the priest did most of the stuff. We just sat and joined in when told,” Keith explained. 

“And private prayers?” Shiro asked since that’s what they’d be doing here and not spreading Atlas’ teaching like it sounded like the priest did with Nemea’s during services. 

“Well a lot of families have small altars to encourage Nemea to bless their house with wisdom. And you can speak to Nemea through that. And when we turn ten, a craftsman helps us carve a lion out of wood or stone and we paint it a colour we feel represents us. And we can hold it and whisper things to it and Nemea can hear it… It probably sounds silly,” Keith said. 

“Not at all. I think it sounds like a beautiful tradition. And I don’t think praying to Atlas is so different. People call to Atlas at all types of altars and even without them. But the most important part is that we want to get Atlas’ attention. They always hear those who call for them but just to be sure, we’ll light a candle so they can see us and focus our will into it so it will hold our prayer. And then we’ll bow, clap three times, and finally, we’ll sit and pray,” Shiro explained gesturing to the candles, shrine, and cushions in turn.

“That doesn’t sound that strange. I like the idea of getting the god’s attention so we know they’re listening. Maybe that’s what Nemea needs.” 

“Maybe. You could always try later. Though it’s considered bad form to pray to a different god at someone’s temple,” Shiro warned lightly. There was always the chance the god you were praying to would be offended and wouldn’t answer or worse, the god whose temple you were in would take offense and would answer but not in any helpful way. 

“Yeah. That’s a good point. I don’t need Atlas to prove to me they exist by throwing fire at my head.”

Shiro chuckled lightly and then went to pick up two candles. “Are you sure? Fire could be useful right now.” And while he could easily go to the fire or even the lantern to light his candle he instead felt a need to show off a little to Keith. So after he passed Keith’s candle to him he held out his free hand and called for a small spark of fire and held his candle to it to light it. He then held out the small flame flickering between his thumb and pointer finger to Keith. 

“Wow. I think this is better than turning myself into a candle,” Keith said. He watched the flames dance along Shiro’s fingers a moment longer before taking a deep breath and holding his candle out to it. Once it was lit, Shiro pulled back the energy he used to feed the flame and it disappeared from his fingers. 

“Now we place them on the altar while thinking about Atlas and our prayers. Bow deeply, clap three times, and we’ll sit and you can talk to Atlas. I’ll be here to help if you need it.” 

Keith nodded, all determined focus now and moved to the altar and copied Shiro as he went through the steps. Once they were seated on the cushions, Shiro waited patiently for Keith to start, hoping Keith would still show his faith in him and speak out loud. 

“Uh… Hi, Atlas. I’m Keith. I’m the crown prince of the Kingdom of Marmorite. I know my people don’t usually call to you. But we have need of your aid. If you help us, we will honour you as we honour Nemea who has helped us in the past and who still gives us the wisdom and knowledge we need.” Keith paused and glanced over at Shiro. 

Shiro was surprised, and somehow not, to find out that Keith was a prince of the Marmorite. Finding out he was royalty explained a lot of what he knew about Keith and the small contradictions he’d already seen in his character. But there would be time to talk about how dangerous it was for a member of royalty to go traversing across kingdoms and up a mountain in winter later. For now, he gave Keith a small encouraging nod. 

“So I don’t know if you keep up on current affairs and stuff, but the Kingdom of Daibazaal’s emperor, Zarkon, has been expanding his territory. He’s already conquered several kingdoms. And we tried to help them but we’re a small kingdom and the mountains and seas around our kingdom make it hard to get in or out. It’s what’s kept us safe so far. But Zarkon is turning his attention to us. Our spies tell us he’s gathering his forces from the conquered kingdoms and regrouping to come and attack us. The pass in from his lands is small and it’s risky. But he has numbers on his side and there are rumours, well they’ve been mostly confirmed, but they’re so hard to believe we consider them rumours… but he has these demon type creatures in his army.” 

Shiro stiffened at Keith’s words, looking at him in shock and horror. It was horrible but not unheard of for a ruler to go to war with its neighbours for any number of reasons. But to have that ruler work with demonic beasts? It made Shiro’s skin crawl at just the thought of that being true. 

“And while I know I shouldn’t ask for you to come down and just vanquish all our foes. Perhaps you could give us a blessed weapon, or knowledge to defeat them. Anything to aid us and protect our people. And maybe even stop Zarkon and free the kingdoms he’s already attacked…” Keith paused in his talking and looked at Shiro. “Is there anything else I should say?” 

“If you feel you’ve said enough, then you’ve said enough. There’s no right or wrong way to do this as long as you believe in Atlas and the help they can provide.”

“So I just wait?”

“Focus on your desire for aid to defeat this Zarkon and channel it through the light of the candle to really make sure Atlas feels how important this prayer is. And then wait.” 

Keith took a deep breath and nodded before staring so hard at the candle that Shiro was surprised it didn’t just fully melt at the intensity of it. Shiro had seen people pray for various reasons but usually, during the prayer, they’d find some inner peace and close their eyes and relax for just a moment. But Keith kept his fierce intensity the whole time as if he could summon Atlas by will and force them to lend their aid. 

Shiro had a feeling that Keith would be disappointed when that didn’t happen. But Shiro wouldn’t let Keith leave empty-handed. 

After a while, Keith turned from the candle once again and looked at Shiro. “I don’t think it’s working.” 

“Sometimes, it takes time for Atlas to hear your prayer. Or they’re sending help in some other way that doesn’t require giving you a sign now.” 

“Or I just failed completely. I’ve heard so many stories about Atlas actually helping people that I wanted to believe it was true… but I don’t think I really believe. We worship Nemea but I’ve never once felt her presence or gleaned knowledge from her. It’s hard to believe when you don’t know even know if they exist anymore. Or if they existed at all,” Keith said, anger and despair in his voice. 

“Keith, it’s not your fault. You honoured Atlas as you should in your prayers and were honest in your plea for help. Why would Atlas hold it against you that you don’t believe in them when you’ve never seen them or felt their kindness for yourself? Try to have faith, Keith. Don’t give up just yet.” 

“I want to believe… but this was my last chance. I need to return home. I’ve already stayed too late. I know you can’t tell in the mountain but spring is already coming to the villages in the plains. And Zarkon is only waiting for the mountain passes to clear of snow before he attacks. I need to get home to help my people,” Keith said. 

“Then let me go with you,” Shiro said. 

“What?!” 

“I know you may not think one person can change the course of things, but I would like to accompany you on your journey home,” Shiro said. And it was not just because he wanted to make sure the prince made it safely down the mountain. He had spent too much time in the temple. It was time to get out and see the wider world, reconnect with the people in it and help those in need. And if demonic creatures were involved in this war that Keith spoke of then he thought it best he should be there to assist with things. He had powers that would be useful there. 

“But… don’t you have oaths or something that bind you here? And work? And it will be dangerous.”

“Keith, I’m not enslaved here. We are all free to leave if we feel duty calls us away. And I feel a duty to join you on this journey of yours and to help your people,” Shiro said. 

“Huh… are you sure you don’t just feel guilty because your god didn’t give me a sign or something?” 

Shiro chuckled at that and shook his head. “Perhaps my joining you is the sign. So prince of the Marmorite, will you have me?” 

Keith startled at his words and Shiro didn’t understand why until Keith’s eyes looked down at his chest before snapping back up to his face, red tinging his cheeks. It seemed his words had a greater meaning than Shiro meant. But trying to correct it now would just lead to greater embarrassment so he kept silent and waited for Keith to agree. 

“I guess you can come. It’s not going to be an easy journey though…” 

“I don’t mind hardships.”

“Alright. How soon can you leave?” Keith asked. 

“Tomorrow morning. If we leave mid-morning we can travel during the warmest part of the day and arrive at the village just as evening comes. Have you ever used snowshoes?” Shiro asked. With how much it’d been snowing, using the special shoes to help them walk would make the trip easier on them. 

“No. The mountains around us get a lot of snow but where the capital is in the valley gets maybe one or two days of snow a year.” 

“Then we’ll spend some time today teaching you how to walk in them and then we’ll get our supplies in order,” Shiro said. Maybe he’d invite some of the younger initiates out to practice their snowshoeing, too so Keith would have some company with his failures and success as he learned how to use them properly. 

“Sounds like a plan. Oh… I forgot, was I supposed to do anything to end my prayer?” 

“No. A simple thank you is fine. The candles are left to burn out on their own.” 

“Okay. Then,” Keith turned back to the altar, “Thanks for listening Atlas. And sorry about taking one of your paladins with me. I promise to keep him safe and return him after the war has been won.” He stood and gave a small bow before turning away from the altar and heading to the door. “Are you coming? We have a busy day.” 

Shiro tried not to laugh at the somewhat impertinent way that Keith had finished his prayer. It was cute in a way. Most things about Keith were cute and Shiro realized that he would have to stop thinking of Keith that way if he was going to survive the journey with him. 

“Alright. I’ll go get the equipment we’ll need for snowshoeing, and you can go find the laundry room and see if your clothes are dried and ready for you,” Shiro said. He’d also round up some of the kids along his way, too. He was sure their instructors would appreciate him taking them off their hands for a little while and helping them burn off some excess energy outside. Even the most devout young initiates needed breaks outside of their studies. 

“Great. I’m all for anything that will make moving in the snow easier. Oh, there’s Kinkade. I’ll ask him to show me the way. Thanks, Shiro,” Keith said. 

Shiro smiled as he watched Keith move swiftly down the hall to catch up with Kinkade. Keith’s spirit seemed a little lighter now and he was glad that his offering to join Keith on his journey could help with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this story has taken all my attention from the small stories I wanted to write for Fantasy Sheith Week but I'm still very much excited about this story so I can't be that angry with it. I really enjoyed this chapter because I got a chance to show Shiro's kindness and patience as an instructor to both the initiates and to Keith. I just wished a bit more had happened plot-wise but Shiro seems to want to take his time... orz
> 
> In the next chapter, they're finally on their journey home and the adventures will start. It's not a proper fantasy story if there are no side quests along the way, right? 
> 
> I'm also going to make sure we get a Keith pov so we can see what he really thinks about Atlas and this paladin who's decided to follow him home.


	3. Let Me Heal You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finds an injured wolf

It was their fourth night away from the temple and Keith had to admit that a selfish part of him wished he could have stayed there longer. He added his foraged wood to the pile beside the fire Shiro was tending and then ducked down beside it to warm his hands. “I’m missing your hot springs right now,” He said. He’d only had the chance to go in them once but the experience had been heavenly and right now he’d love to be surrounded by the hot water again. 

The first night they had taken a room in the quaint but functional inn in the small town at the bottom of the mountain. A roaring fire, blankets, and hot drinks had helped them warm up from the trek down from the temple and when they had left the next morning sat upon two fine horses and well layered, they had both been in good spirits. 

Shiro was a surprisingly good travel companion, easily able to tell if Keith was in the mood for distraction via a well told tale or if he’d rather enjoy a companionable silence as he processed his thoughts and what lay ahead for himself and his people. He was also quite handsome, which Keith tried not to notice. He was sure paladins had some weird pact of celibacy or something like most priest seemed to. 

As they rode away from the small town, the snow on the ground lessened though the first and second-night camping they still had to push away the snow to give their horses an area to forage and themselves a spot to set up their rather primitive shelter. The work went by surprisingly quick as Shiro used his powers to blow away or melt snow saving them both a lot of tedious labour. Keith had been distracted by his tasks of tending to the horses more than once as he watched Shiro work. To see holy powers up close and in action like that gave him hope that maybe Atlas would yet give him something to save his people with. Or maybe, Shiro was Atlas’ gift to him? 

Either way, as they laid pressed together in their small tent, wrapped in their own blankets but sharing body heat, Keith’s thoughts couldn’t help but turn to worries about the journey ahead and what those from Daibazaal were going to do to his people if Atlas couldn’t help them.

At one point last night, Shiro had noticed him still awake and reached out to him, pulling his head in close to Shiro’s and pressing a light kiss on his forehead. “You’re thinking too hard, Keith. Rest, and may your dreams bring you peace,” He had said and gave his forehead one more kiss before releasing him and snuggling back into his own blanket. 

Keith had stared at him for a long moment, blinking in wonder as a strange warm tingling moved through his body. Keith honestly didn’t know if it was from arousal or some strange paladin magic. He had done his best to ignore it and Shiro’s sometimes overly touchy manner and turned around expecting his thoughts to once again be taken over by thoughts of death and failure. But the second his eyes had closed he had drifted off to sleep. 

Apparently, the tingling had been paladin magic, or that’s what Keith had told himself as they had quickly broken down camp in the morning. Travelling with Shiro made the setup and tear down of camp much more efficient and let them spend more time on the road each day. In fact, Shiro continued to impress Keith with his camping skills and his dedication to any tasks Keith had set for him. His initial fears that travelling with a pampered temple paladin would slow him down had quickly been proven false. 

At the rate they were going, they were bound to reach the next town at least a half day faster than Keith had travelled the same path on the way to the temple. 

But today the sun had barely come out and the chill of the morning had lingered, with grey skies threatening to snow on them even as the snow on the ground lessened with each hour they moved away from the mountains. The snow had thankfully held off, but now as they were setting up camp for the night, the temperature was dropping further and the wind was picking up. There would be no escaping the chill that had settled in his bones tonight. 

“I can make us some hot drinks,” Shiro said distractedly. 

“That will help. I think I remember seeing a stream not far from here. I’ll go refill our canteens while you boil up the rest for drinks,” Keith said.

Shiro gave a nod and then reached for his bag that had their cooking pot that could be used for boiling water and the package of leaves that made a tea that Keith was becoming quite fond of. He’d have to see if they had the right plants for it in Marmora once they had taken care of Zarkon. 

After Shiro had poured out the water from their canteens that remained from the day into the pot he silently passed them to Keith. 

It was strange. Shiro had been the perfect travelling companion right up until they had started setting up the camp. Somewhere between unsaddling the horses and getting the fire started, Shiro’s mood had shifted and he seemed distracted and not as peaceful as usual. 

Maybe the paladin was homesick? Keith wondered how long it had been since he’d been this far away from his fellow paladins and the temple he lived at. Would it be rude to ask? 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked hoping it was neutral enough and wouldn’t upset Shiro further. 

“Yes. Of course. Why do you ask?” Shiro asked, seeming honestly perplexed by the question. 

“You’ve been quiet… and a bit… I don’t know. Not like yourself?” Keith may not have known Shiro long but he even he knew that this was unlike how Shiro normally was. 

“Oh… I’m sorry. I guess my mind is elsewhere.”

“It’s been a long cold day. Don’t worry about it. We’ll get some hot drinks and food in us and bed down early. Hopefully getting warm will lift our spirits for tomorrow,” Keith said. 

Shiro gave him a small and forced smile and nodded. 

“Alright. I’ll go find that stream. Yell if you need me.” Keith made sure he had his knife tucked in its sheath on his back and had a good feel for where their campsite was before he headed off. With the sun starting to set, it would be foolish to not take extra care in knowing where he was going and how to return. They hadn’t gone that far off the road and into the forest to set up their camp but it was far enough that it would be easy enough to get lost if not careful. 

“Okay. I should have everything ready when you get back.” 

Keith nodded and headed out, careful of his steps and trying to not think about how cold his nose and fingers were or how much he disliked seeing Shiro unhappy. 

It didn’t take long before he could hear the stream bubbling away and he was just about to turn to his right to head closer when he heard something strange. He paused and tilted his head in the direction he thought it was coming from and heard it again. It sounded like something whimpering. It was certainly a distressed sort of noise though it didn’t sound human. Still, Keith thought he should check it out. If it did happen to be someone, he should help them and if it was an injured animal, perhaps it was something he could put out of its misery and Shiro and him could eat it for tonight and tomorrow. 

He set down the canteens quietly and then reached for the handle of his knife as he walked in a crouch toward the noise. The noise was definitely pained and pathetic sounding and Keith gritted his teeth and tried to harden himself to what he might see. He might enjoy hunting and eating meat but he never liked seeing animals suffer needlessly. 

And he felt it had to be needlessly. Surely if another animal was hunting this creature, they would have gone in for the kill already. So perhaps an accident or a hunter who hadn’t realized he’d hit his mark or the creature had fled before a killing blow could be struck? Plenty of possibilities and Keith wouldn’t get an answer until he could see the creature. 

Gripping his knife at the ready just in case the beast charged him, he moved quietly through the underbrush of the forest until he found the clearing the creature was in. 

He froze and nearly dropped his knife before training kicked in and he tightened his hold and looked around for threats. They were alone for now and the creature in the corner of the clearing looked like nothing Keith had ever seen. 

For one thing, it was several shades of blue and glowing. But if Keith ignored that, he supposed it looked like a wolf. Keith was sure it had a strong bite and possibly even claws. He moved closer but kept far enough away that the creature wouldn’t be able to lunge at him. 

“Hey there, uh… boy?” Keith said, having to guess at the gender and hoping he hadn’t just insulted some sentient female god wolf. “Are you hurt? What happened to you?” He didn’t expect the wolf to answer. He probably would have freaked out if it did. But there was intelligence in those bright eyes that made Keith feel he should at least attempt to communicate. 

The wolf let out a whimper and oh so slowly moved to show off the gash at his side and on his leg. 

Okay, so the wolf really did understand him or just was responding to a kind tone. Either way, Keith couldn’t stop the grimace at the sight of the wound. It wasn’t good. But he was pretty sure that if the wolf let them, he and Shiro could patch it up well enough. “That looks pretty bad. Were you attacked?”

The wolf just whimpered again and laid its head down. Still, it wasn’t the worst conversation partner Keith had ever had. 

“Do you think you can walk? My friend and I have a camp set up. We can get you warm and help with that.” Keith took the risk of stepping a little closer and crouching down. He practically held his breath as he moved, waiting to defend himself or retreat but the wolf just watched him lazily. 

“Or maybe I should get Shiro and we can help you here. That has to be painful to walk with. Is that why you’re here?” He moved closer, holding out his hand in a leap of faith. Fortunately, the wolf just sniffed at his hand and lightly butted his nose against it. Clearly, Keith had passed the friend test. That was a good sign. 

“I wish I knew what you are. But you’re definitely not food.” The wolf huffed and Keith frowned at the creature. “And you definitely understand me even if you aren’t that helpful about it.” He reached up to pet a large soft ear and spotted the wolf’s tail swish back and forth a little. 

“Will you be alright here if I go? I promise I’ll come back.” 

The wolf gave what Keith thought might be a nod but he wasn’t entirely sure. He also wasn’t sure what he would tell Shiro but he was a paladin to a god so maybe he was used to weird things and encountering strange beasts. Keith still couldn’t get over the fact that the creature was glowing. The blue he could have convinced himself was odd but perhaps normal for wolves in this area but nothing could excuse the glowing nor the intelligence of the wolf. 

“Okay. Don’t try to move. I’ll be back soon.”

He didn’t make it more than a few paces away from the wolf before he heard a growl. He looked back just in time to see a creature that looked part spider and part crab rush at him. He rolled out of the way and held out his blade, turning it from a knife into a sword in the process. He had a feeling he didn’t want to get too close to those claws or even spindly legs. And was that a tail? The beast just got more horrific the longer Keith looked at it. 

“Is that what attacked you?” Keith asked the wolf before rolling out of the way of an attack again. 

With that many legs, Keith had hoped it would be a little uncoordinated or have troubles turning around but its movements were fast and fluid and it was rounding on Keith again in no time. He wasn’t willing to risk the wolf getting into the line of attack by continuing to dodge it so he had to engage instead. 

“Don’t suppose you can call for help?” Keith asked. Not sure what he was expecting the wolf to do or even why he thought Shiro might answer it. 

Keith’s sword clanged against the front claws and he had to yank it back before the beast could get him off balance. He aimed for a leg this time thinking to cut it off but it only nicked the limb, black smoke coming from the wound instead of blood, before skidding down the leg. “What are you made of?” 

He gritted his teeth and tried dodging past the front the claws to get to the back of the head but before he could strike he felt a burning pain on his arm and let out a yell. He’d lost track of the tail for a moment and paid the price. As he jumped back, he quickly prodded the rip in his jacket and the cut beneath. It had hurt but it didn’t seem overly deep. He just hoped it wasn’t poisoned. But if it was the same thing that attacked the wolf, odds were good that it wasn’t. 

He dodged another attack and waited a moment before running forward to engage the creature again. He kept track of the tail this time, pulling out a smaller dagger to parry it as he tried fighting past legs and claws to get to either the underbelly, a normal weak point on beasts like this, or the back of the head where it attached to the main body. 

He was just about to risk a foolhardy move that if it worked would be great, but if not, would leave him open to attack. He had to risk it though. He wasn’t gaining any ground and with an injured arm, he couldn’t continue parrying the strong hits from the beast forever. 

He sucked in a deep breath and just as he pulled back his dagger there was a blinding light that washed over him and the creature and then it was letting out a vicious yell that made Keith want to cover his ears. He didn’t risk it though since the beast was flailing in pain. Instead, he kept his guard up as he backed away. 

The creature didn’t come after him and instead turned to where the light was coming from. But before it could do more than that, it crumpled in on itself and then slowly turned into dust. 

“What the hell was that?” He questioned as he blinked the light out of his eyes. He then saw a large shape that had him raising his dagger and sword until his eyes cleared more and he could make out that it was Shiro. “Shiro?” 

“Sorry about that. How are your eyes?” Shiro asked coming forward and reaching out for Keith’s face. He then paused when he saw the cut on the sleeve and instead reached for Keith’s arm to look at it. “We’re lucky that creature isn’t poisonous.” 

“You know it? And what did you do to it?” 

“It’s a hell beast. Like the ones that Emperor Zarkon is rumoured to be working with.” 

“Seriously? I couldn’t even cut it.” 

“There are numerous types of creatures. That one is known for its armour and speed. And for its sharp limbs. Which it seems you found out first hand. How does it feel?” Shiro asked fingers lightly pulling apart a bit of the coat’s fabric to get a glimpse of it. 

“It surprised me more than hurt me. I’m pretty sure it did more damage to my coat. I’ll be okay.” 

“We’ll patch you and the coat up before we go to bed. You’re lucky I found you. I’m not sure you would have been able to defeat the creature on your own.” 

“Yeah. Thanks for that. Did you blast it with some sort of light attack? It’s lucky it didn’t hurt me.” 

“It was more a holy attack. And you were never in danger from it as it targets those of true evil and from the hell realm,” Shiro explained. 

“Good to know. Don’t suppose it’s something you can teach me?” 

“Initiates spend most of their training learning how to channel their own energies and then turn it into holy magic. I’m afraid our journey to your kingdom won’t be enough time for that.” 

Keith sighed but wasn’t surprised by the answer. It was worth asking still. “So how did you find us?” 

“Us? And I was making the tea when I got a bad feeling. You were taking a while and something just felt off. So I started heading to where you should have been and then heard sounds of fighting. I didn’t want to distract you while you were engaged with it so waited until I thought it was safe to attack.” 

“Huh… I guess Atlas is watching over us. Oh and uh… I found a friend?” Keith said and put his dagger and sword turned knife again away before gesturing to the wolf who was watching them both intently. 

“Without Atlas, I fear that fight would have ended much differently for you,” Shiro said before looking to where the wolf was. He blinked and then grinned and somehow Keith wasn’t surprised that Shiro knew what it was. 

“So you know what it is?” 

“Of course. It’s a mystic wolf. They have the ability to travel through realms but don’t often spend their time on this one. I met one here a long time ago. She was much bigger than this one though.” Shiro walked closer to the wolf and then crouched down letting the wolf scent him much as Keith had done earlier. “Look at its paws. This one still has plenty of growing left to do.” 

“He’s not fully grown?!” Keith said a bit surprised as he moved next to Shiro. As he looked at the wolf’s paws he could see just how big they were and he supposed if mystic wolves grew like normal dogs, it meant that he still had some way to go before he matched them in size. “Damn. You’re going to be a big boy when you grow up. What are you doing here though if you’re still a pup?” Keith asked the wolf getting a slow blink and small whimper in return. 

“Maybe that creature chased him here. I imagine it has to be painful to move right now and he may not have the concentration to teleport.” 

“Wait, they can teleport, too?” 

Shiro nodded and then reached out to scratch the wolf’s ear. “Yes. Though don’t get too excited. While they can teleport with others, their range is limited. Even if he was healthy and fully grown, I’m not sure he’d be able to reach the next town on his own, let alone with passengers.” 

“Still… it’s impressive. I wonder what it feels like,” Keith said as he looked at Shiro pet the wolf who was certainly otherworldly but so familiar at the same time. He then remembered the wolf’s wound and his own and felt foolish for getting distracted instead of worrying about their health first.

“Actually, I was on my way to back find you to see if you could help me get him to the fire. I was hoping we could treat his wounds,” Keith said. 

Shiro gently moved his hands down the wolf’s side and closer to the cuts and while the wolf growled a little he made no move to bite. “Hmmm the one on his leg might need stitches since it’s still bleeding but I can make up a salve for both of you and that should take care of the worst of it.” 

“Really? That’s great. I was worried his wounds would be worse. Can you carry on him on your own? I still need to get the water.” 

Shiro looked at the wolf and then at Keith and his arm before nodding. “I can do that. Just don’t be long. We don’t want to risk that cut getting infected.” 

“I won’t.” Keith helped Shiro pick the wolf up, happy that the wolf seemed to understand they were here to help and didn’t try to attack them. When he was sure the wolf was secure in Shiro’s arms and they were on their way back to the fire, Keith quickly headed back to the where he left his canteens, pleased with himself for remembering their location. He quickly filled them up and returned. 

“He looks cozy,” Keith commented as he stepped into the clearing by the fire and saw the wolf sprawled on one of their spare blankets by the fire and eating some jerky.

“I coated the meat in a paste that should hopefully keep him calm while I’m treating him. Even when they know you’re helping them, animals tend to bite when in pain or startled,” Shiro said. He held out a cup of tea to Keith as he sat down. 

“Hmm and does my tea have the same stuff in it?” 

Shiro looked away but did give a nod. “It will make you feel more lethargic and detached so you won’t feel the pain as much.” 

Keith considered the drink and then Shiro. He trusted the paladin to watch over him while he was a bit out of it and if he was going to get the wound treated properly and sleep, something that would make him feel the cut less was a good thing. “Thanks. I don’t suppose it tastes good?” 

“Do healing drinks ever taste good?” Shiro asked, seeming much more pleased and confident now that he knew Keith wasn’t upset by the tea. 

“No. But I was hoping you’d be able to do some holy magic on it and surprise me.” 

“Well… I did add a few extra things to it. It should be drinkable.” 

“Really?” Keith took a tentative sip, careful not to burn his tongue on the hot drink and then blinked in surprise. It still had a bit of a bitter aftertaste, but it went down more smoothly than anything healing related he’d ever had before. “This is pretty good.” 

“Good. Then you drink that, and I’ll take care of the wolf.” 

“Sure. Want me to get dinner going?” 

“Maybe just get water boiling again. We can make a quick soup to eat with some bread,” Shiro suggested. 

“I can handle that.” Keith took another sip of his tea and then placed the pot from earlier back on the fire and filled it up with some water before digging through his bag for various items to add to it. Since the journey between the two towns wasn’t that far they were able to enjoy fairly fresh rations for most of their journey and Keith had been enjoying the chance to eat more than the dried foodstuffs he’d had most of the way to the temple. 

Once the soup was going, he sat back down and drank more of his tea, eyes drifting over to where Shiro was working on the wolf. Shiro was still talking soothingly to the creature and Keith let Shiro’s calm voice wash over him. Ever so often the wolf gave a small whimper but he seemed to be taking his treatment stoically. Shiro must have magic fingers to be able to keep the wolf calm as he tended to him. And Keith blushed lightly behind the rim of his cup as he thought how those fingers would be on him next. 

It was for the best that the wound on his arm would be quick to take care of. Keith didn’t need his body to get any wrong ideas about what Shiro was doing for him. It was medical attention and nothing more. 

“How is he?” Keith asked. Talking about the wolf was much better than letting his mind think about where else he’d like to feel strong warm hands. He blamed it on being out on the road so long and being deprived of even friendly and familial touches he had back at the castle. 

“Good. He should heal up just fine. But he should stay off the leg as much as possible while it heals,” Shiro said, attention still on the wolf. 

“So he can’t get home?” 

“I don’t think so. We can see what he’s like in the morning.” 

Keith worried his bottom lip as he looked over at the wolf. They were on a time constraint to get back to his kingdom before Zarkon’s army invaded but he couldn’t just leave the wolf here to fend for himself when he couldn’t move properly. “Would staying here an extra day help?” He could give up that much time for the wolf. 

“Hmm I think he’ll need a solid week before he’s moving properly. But he may be able to teleport by then. Even if he can’t switch realms, even being able to teleport in this one would keep him safe,” Shiro said. 

The thought of staying here a week made his stomach clench with worry and guilt. They also would have to start hunting and foraging for food if they waited that long. And with spring only just starting to come to this part of the world, foraging would be difficult. 

“Could we somehow… I don’t know… attach him by a sling to the horse, or secure him to a saddle?” Keith asked. If they couldn’t stay with the wolf, the next logical solution was to bring the wolf with them. If the creature could teleport than it shouldn’t matter how far he travelled from where he was first found as long as he was being cared for and healing. 

Shiro glanced up back at him and then over to where the horses were and finally back at the wolf. “I think we could figure something out if that’s what you wanted to do. But we can reassess in the morning. See how both you and the wolf are doing. And you need to finish your tea. It will take a few minutes to set in. And can you get your arm free of your sleeve?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” He took a large swig of his tea to empty it before setting down the cup to work his clothes off. The jacket and bulky sweater he wore came off easily, though a shiver went through his body at the sudden temperature change. He shifted a bit closer to the fire before working his arm free of the long sleeve shirt he wore. He hissed lightly as the fabric caught on the cut. But eventually he was free of it and was sitting in his short-sleeved shirt with his jacket draped over him, hands held out toward the fire for the extra warmth. 

“I think I aggravated it a bit when I got my shirt off. It’s bleeding a little,” Keith said watching as the blood trickled down his arm and onto the ground. He thought the tea must be working already since he knew that he should be feeling something more than he did when he looked at it. 

“It’s probably good to let it bleed and clean out the wound naturally a bit. I’m just wrapping as much of the wolf’s wound as I can and then I can patch you up,” Shiro said. 

Keith nodded and reached out to stir the soup before burrowing a bit more inside of his jacket. It didn’t take long before Shiro was by his side and he blinked slowly at him as he heard his name be called by him. 

“I think this tea must affect you differently than the people in this region,” Shiro said as he lightly held Keith’s chin to turn his face up to his. 

Keith blinked at him and smiled a little as Shiro came into focus. “It’s a lil like floatin’” Keith said and then frowned at how uneven his voice sounded. 

“I can imagine. But I’m sorry, Keith. I didn’t mean it to hit you this hard. You should be fine come morning though and I’ll watch after you until then,” Shiro said. 

Keith could only nod at that, liking the thought of Shiro looking after him and not at all sure why he was apologizing.

“Logically, I knew you had to be half Galran considering your parents, but I guess I didn’t consider what that would mean to your reaction to the noct berry roots.” 

Shiro continued to talk and Keith could hear the words and he understood them but the meaning behind them and any ability to respond to them seemed to be gone. So instead he just nodded again and then winced as he felt a pinch on his arm. He went to look down and Shiro gently caught his chin again and had him look away. “Watch the fire for a bit. You don’t need to see this,” Shiro said and then went back to calmly explaining what he was doing. 

Keith watched the flames dance around, sparks flying up now and then as sap in the wood exploded. And then Shiro was in front of him moving around and placing a warm mug back in his hands. “Try to eat, Keith.” 

Keith nodded and brought the mug up to his lips and would have spilt it all over himself if Shiro hadn’t been there to help. 

The evening became a blur of Shiro’s voice, gentle touches helping him, and warm food in his stomach. He was then being tugged free of his boots and encouraged to lay down and he had a feeling of being overly warm with a furry blanket pressed up to him on one side and a gently rising and falling wall of warmth on the other. 

-0-0-0-0-

Keith blinked open crusty feeling eyes and rubbed them irritably as he tried to blink the world back into focus. He was in the little lean-to tent he was sharing with Shiro and when he tried to remember the night before, everything after coming back to the camp seemed to be a hazy blur. He couldn’t remember getting drunk, but that’s a bit what it felt like, just without the horrible hangover he was half expecting. 

Feeling a warm presence at his back, Keith turned and ended up staring right into the wolf’s eyes, noses practically touching. “Oh. Good morning, wolf,” Keith said and then wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, mystic wolf or not, you still have dog breath.” He forced himself to sit up and when he felt a slight twinge in his arm, he looked down at the way it was expertly wrapped and vaguely remembered Shiro tending to it. 

He tugged his boots back on and then his sweater and jacket, both of which he noticed, had been patched better than he could have done. “Shiro?” He called as he stepped out of the shelter, not seeing Shiro at the fire. 

“Here,” Shiro said coming from behind him where the horses were. “I was just checking on our mounts.” 

“Oh, right. How are they?” 

“Good. How are you?” 

“Good,” Keith said and then rubbed the back of his head feeling a little awkward. “Sorry for last night. I don’t remember much so I hope I didn’t do anything strange.” 

“Not at all. And it’s my fault. I forgot that Galra biology doesn’t react as expected to one of the ingredients I used in the tea.” 

Shiro looked embarrassed by the mistake and Keith found it charming. He supposed a super talented and high ranking paladin didn’t often make mistakes like that. 

“No harm done. I don’t remember feeling anything from this,” Keith pointed to his injured arm, “And I feel fine now. I’m surprised I don’t have a headache or anything.” 

“A small miracle. I wonder if it’s your human side that helped with that.” 

“Maybe. But hey, if I’m injured again, I’m not sure I’d say no to that tea.” He didn’t like being out of control. But if it was somewhere safe and he trusted the person watching out for him, it didn’t seem that bad. 

“You might not. But I was the one who had to try and get you to eat and into bed. I promise you didn’t say or do anything embarrassing but you also weren’t overly helpful.” 

Somehow the reassurance that he hadn’t done anything embarrassing just made him feel more flustered. He felt heat rising to his cheeks and turned back to the fire. “Sorry about that. Want me to help with breakfast?” 

“I refilled our canteens. So if you want to handle breakfast, I can look in on our furry friend.” 

“Deal. And Shiro?” 

Shiro looked at him with a small tilt to his head, waiting for Keith to say something more. 

“Thanks again for your help yesterday. And not just leaving me by the fire.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” Shiro said. And with a slight incline, went to get his bag so he could check on the wolf and probably change his bandages. 

As Keith headed to the fire to start some oatmeal for breakfast, he was once again thankful that Atlas had let Shiro come on this journey with him even if they hadn’t provided the type of support Keith had hoped for, Shiro was still something to be thankful about.

Once the oats were boiling away, Keith looked over at Shiro where he was tending to the wolf and Keith thought how they were going to get the creature onto a horse. He knew before Shiro even said anything that the wolf couldn’t be left to fend for itself and so it was going to have to come with them. At least the wolf was smart enough to understand why they were trying to get him on a horse. 

He was also secretly looking forward to the faces of the townspeople when they rode up with a blue and white wolf at their side. It would certainly make their stay for the night more entertaining. He bet the kids of the town would all crowd around wanting to see and pet the wolf but would be too scared to do it until the bravest among them asked if they could. 

Keith was smiling softly to himself as he stirred the oatmeal when Shiro sat down beside him. “What has you smiling?” 

“Nothing,” Keith said as he cleared his throat. “How’s the wolf doing?” He was not going to share silly daydreams with Shiro. 

“He’s doing well. He’s healing faster than I thought but I still don’t think he should be walking.” 

Keith nodded. “Then he’ll just have to come with us,” He said as if he hadn’t already decided that. “Besides, I think he’s good for you.”

“Good for me?” Shiro asked as he blinked in confusion. 

“You seemed a bit down yesterday but since you’ve had the wolf to look after, you’ve been in a better mood.” 

Shiro considered his words and then nodded. “I guess I have been. But I’ll be in an even better mood if we can reach the next town without further incident.” 

“Me, too. Now sit. Breakfast is ready and we have a long day ahead of us,” Keith said. He grabbed their mugs and filled them with the oatmeal before handing one over to Shiro and settling back with his. Taking care of a wolf on the journey wasn’t part of the plan but he also thought it was an extra task they’d both take on willingly. What person, young or old, didn’t enjoy having a puppy to care for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the quests are underway and I decided to start with Kosmo (Well the yet unnamed Mystic Wolf. It was so hard not to call him Kosmo!). I thought it was the simplest one and a good one to start with while they're still getting to know each other.
> 
> And I decided that the Galra were still going to be a different race to humans and look like their canon selves. 
> 
> I think next we'll get to meet Hunk.


	4. Curses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro wander into a small town but something isn't right. Everyone appears to be sleeping.

Keith smiled as they crested the last hill and could finally see the town they were heading to. While the wolf was as well behaved as could be expected when bundled onto a horse, he was sure that he, the wolf, and his horse would all be happy for the break. “Think we’ll make it there by lunch?” He asked. 

“We should. Are you sure there’s an inn there? It looks rather small,” Shiro said as he eyed the few buildings clustered together in the distance. 

“Trust me. It does. I stopped there on the way to the temple. It’s bigger than it looks from here and there are some farm houses around it, too,” Keith said. He pointed out a couple of small houses he could make out in the farmlands that weren’t blocked by trees. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been here before. I wonder if they have a small temple,” Shiro said as he started his horse moving along the road again. 

“I don’t remember seeing one. I asked about Atlas and they seemed to know of them though. Maybe they just don’t have anyone to set up anything official. I guess it’s something you could take care of when you get back.” Keith wouldn’t pretend to understand how temples and churches worked when it came to getting set up somewhere new but he felt like Shiro and the paladins at the head temple would be able to sort something out. 

“A good idea. Perhaps I’ll ask around a little and see if there’s interest. Some people in small communities prefer their household shrines.” 

“I guess that’s sort of what ours is… even if it services everyone in the castle,” Keith said. But it was in theory, a place of worship for the royal family first. It was just ridiculous to have such a big and beautiful space only for the royal family so his grandfather had opened it up to anyone working or visiting the castle. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing it. And learning more about your god.”

“I’m sure the priests would be happy to swap stories with you. They’re not as uptight about multiple gods and stuff like some people I met on my way. I tried asking others for help but because Marmora worships different gods they wouldn’t even listen to me,” Keith said with a sigh. Even if Atlas hadn’t answered him, he was still thankful that everyone at the temple, and especially Shiro, had been so nice to him. 

“I suppose it’s natural for some people to worry about their god spreading themselves too thin or even angering them by helping someone who worships a different god. But I feel that most gods don’t care about such things and are able to care for more than people would believe. Perhaps one day, the places you visited will discover that and be more welcoming to those in need from other kingdoms,” Shiro said. 

“Maybe. Though if they had, I wouldn’t have gone to your temple. And even if I didn’t get the help I wanted, it’s been nice having you travel with me so far,” Keith said and then looked away unable to hold eye contact with Shiro after sharing something so sentimental. They hadn’t really known each other that long but Keith felt so comfortable with him that it was hard to remember that. 

“I’ve been enjoying our trip, too.”

“Really?” Keith glanced back at Shiro to make sure he wasn’t teasing. “I worried at first that you’d find the camping and long days of riding difficult.”

“I can’t say either are things I look forward to, but it’s nice getting away from the temple and going on an adventure.” 

“I think so, too. I love my family and my people but sometimes it’s nice to sneak away from the castle.” 

“I think I suddenly feel sorry for your parents and your guards.” 

Keith shifted in his saddle a little sheepishly. He had definitely caused his parents and his guards some worry and stress growing up. But he always made it back mostly in one piece and he never missed anything super important. 

“Uh… want to race the rest of the way to town?” It was so much better than admitting to anything else potentially embarrassing. 

Shiro considered the distance and thankfully nodded. “Sure. But will the wolf be okay?” 

Keith leaned forward to check on him and that he was still securely strapped in and decided that they’d all manage the ride to the town just fine. It wasn’t that far off now. “We’ll manage.” 

“As long as you don’t use him as an excuse when you lose,” Shiro said. 

Keith’s competitive side rose to the forefront and he gave Shiro a grin. “I don’t think a mountain-dwelling priest has any room to talk.”

“I’m not a priest,” Shiro said. 

“Yeah yeah. Show me what you got,” Keith said and then gave his horse a nudge to send him moving faster. He waited until Shiro got his horse moving before really getting the race going. He didn’t want Shiro to accuse him of cheating when he won. 

They bantered and laughed as they raced down the road and it wasn’t long until they were in the town and Keith was pulling on the reins to bring his horse to a stop beside Shiro’s who had beat him through the entrance into town by just a second. 

“Alright, you won that round but it’s because you did that tricky manoeuvre. You’re lucky I have quick reflexes or we could have collided.” He would not admit to being impressed by said move since it had let Shiro edge past him when he was sure he was winning. 

“I’ve had this horse a long time. We can pull off a lot of amazing things,” Shiro said before pausing and looking around the town. “Keith, you said you passed through here before, right?” 

“Yeah. Just a few weeks ago now. Why?” He asked. He was slightly distracted as he dismounted and started untying the scarves that were keeping the wolf on the horse. He was sure both beasts would be happy to be free of each other for a bit. 

“Is it supposed to be this quiet?” Shiro asked. 

Keith’s hands stilled in their work and he looked around the town. Now that Shiro had mentioned it Keith couldn’t help but be overly aware of how quiet it was. There wasn’t even the sound of insects or birds nearby. 

“No. And this doesn’t seem natural…” Even if some horror had befallen the town while he was gone there still should have been noises from animals and other creatures. 

“Let’s investigate. Perhaps it’s just our minds playing tricks on us,” Shiro said. Though his eyes didn’t hold the same optimism his words did. 

“Wolf, stay here with the horses,” Keith said as he settled the wolf down onto the ground. He then tied his horse off to a nearby post, Shiro doing the same. 

“I don’t think it was bandits. I’ve seen what they do to places and it’s not this,” Keith said. He’d run across one small cluster of about four or five homes together that had been ransacked perhaps a day or two before he passed through. It had put him off food for the rest of the day and still haunted his dreams at night. He could all too easily picture towns near their border with Zarkon looking like that if they didn’t stop him and his army. 

“We should stay together,” Shiro said as they headed toward the pub, the usual heart of any small town like this. 

“Agreed. Just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.” Keith peered up at the building as they got to it and noted that it looked much the same as it did when he had passed through the first time. Just a lot quieter. “You don’t think it was some illness, do you?” 

Keith had heard horror stories about mystery ailments that ravaged whole towns with only a handful of survivors able to flee. While it didn’t smell like death and decay, that didn’t exactly mean anything. 

Shiro looked off and away as if he could see inside of the houses and tell just where sickness may have been, and for all Keith knew, that was exactly what he was doing. Who knew what powers Atlas gifted their paladins?

“It’s possible. But that theory doesn’t feel right. The town is eerily quiet but it doesn’t feel dead,” Shiro said. He stepped past Keith to the pub door and gave it a push. It opened with a groan that sounded loud in the quiet that surrounded them and had Keith reaching for the hilt of his knife tucked in his belt. 

“There’s no fire. And the chairs are still up as if they hadn’t opened for the day yet,” Shiro said as he stepped far enough into the pub for Keith to follow him inside and see the place for himself. 

“Let’s see if we can find the owners. Or anyone who stayed overnight.” 

“Good idea. Split up?” Shiro asked. It might be unwise to split up to search the town but it would let them cover more rooms of the pub if they did. 

“Sure. Yell loud if we need each other?” 

Shiro nodded agreement. “I’ll check this floor.” 

“Got it.” Before climbing the stairs, Keith went up to the bar and hopped over it, getting a curious look from Shiro. After a moment of searching, he held up a ring of keys and gave it a jangle. “If there are guests, they probably locked their door.” But that wouldn’t stop the owner, or himself right now, from getting in. 

“Smart move. Shout if you find anyone.” 

“You, too.” Keith hopped over the bar again and then went up the stairs that creaked loudly with each step. He really didn’t remember it being that loud when he had been on his way to Atlas’ temple. But then, the pub had still been lively and Keith hadn’t been worried about keeping quiet. 

The first door up the stairs was partially open so Keith used his boot to gently toe it open further, braced to react to anything. But the room was disappointedly empty. He stepped in to look around but found nothing out of the ordinary. Just a simple tavern room ready to rent to someone for the night. 

Keith left that room and moved down to the next one where the door was properly closed. He gave a knock as he tried the handle and found it locked. After another knock, he started trying keys until he found the right one. Once again, he prepared himself for anything as he turned the handle and pushed the door open. 

“Hello? Excuse me?” He called as he spotted a person on the bed. They didn’t respond to his calls and Keith worried that maybe the person was dead. Hand resting on the hilt of his knife again, he carefully made his way over to the bed where a man was apparently sleeping. This close, Keith could see the rise and fall of his chest and there was certainly life to him. 

“Hey, mister,” Keith said reaching out to give the man a shake. There was no reaction beyond a somewhat annoyed huff but the man didn’t even once look like he was about to wake up.

That was not normal. He debated calling Shiro up right now but what if it was just a one-off and the guy was passed out drunk from the night before? He’d check one more room first. 

With a yawn, Keith left the room and headed across the hall where he repeated the process, this time with a lot more blushing as there was a couple sharing the bed and the blankets were not doing a good job hiding the fact that they weren’t wearing proper sleeping attire. 

Trying to shake them awake had been more than a little awkward, especially with the young lady since Keith wasn’t sure where he could touch that would be appropriate. But a solid shake to a shoulder on both of them had gotten him no reaction and so he quickly went back to the hall to try to stop his cheeks from blushing. He really shouldn’t be this flustered but it wasn’t something he expected to come across. 

“Keith.” 

Keith startled and swung around, knife out.

“It’s just me,” Shiro said, hands up and with a gentle smile. 

“Oh… did you find anything?” Keith asked, putting his knife away so Shiro couldn’t get a good look at how flustered he was. 

“I found the pub owners and who I think is their family. The wife seems to be asleep on the kitchen floor and the others are still in their bed. I moved the woman back to what I assumed was her bed. It seemed strange to leave her on the floor.” 

Keith nodded. Somehow not surprised that Shiro had found what he had. “That was nice of you. And I found the same thing up here. People asleep and who wouldn’t wake up. I haven’t checked the last couple of rooms but it will probably be the same.” 

“Let’s check the next house then. Make sure it’s not just isolated here,” Shiro said. 

Keith nodded and headed back down the stairs, following Shiro and ignoring how loud their footsteps were. It wasn’t as if the noise was disturbing anyone. He paused at the bar to put the keys on top of it and gave another yawn as he wandered back onto the street. “Where to next?”

“Who’s normally the first to rise in a town?” Shiro asked as he surveyed the strip of buildings along the street. 

“In town? Maybe the bakers? They’re normally up first in the castle. Why?” Keith said. Mostly because he didn’t think a town this size would have a lot of servants running around to prepare for the day. 

“They’re one of the first up at the temple, too. And if the baker was already up and working when this happened but not anyone else, it will give us a time frame to work with,” Shiro said and then gave Keith a look. 

Keith tried to cover his yawn but clearly, he had still been caught out. “Sorry. Maybe I didn’t sleep as well as I thought I did.” 

“Or maybe we’re getting sucked into whatever has trapped these people.” 

“What? That can happen?” Keith asked. 

“Yes. But let’s talk somewhere safe.” Shiro didn’t wait for Keith’s answer and instead grabbed his hand and started dragging him away from the pub and back toward their horses. Keith stumbled slightly to keep up with Shiro’s longer strides and wanted to protest but ended up yawning instead. 

When they reached the horses, Shiro had to give them a good pat to rouse them and Keith was surprised to see the wolf watching them with interest and seemingly unaffected by the drowsiness that was getting the rest of them. 

“Come on. I’ll get the wolf. Let’s go until we hear insects and birds again.” 

“Alright. I don’t think we’re too far from that,” Keith said. He mounted his horse and then watched as Shiro lifted up the wolf onto his and while holding onto him, mounted his own horse. It was quite impressive and if Keith wasn’t feeling so lethargic he’d probably make a comment on it. 

Keith yawned again and then Shiro gave a yawn of his own before they lightly kicked their horses into action. It seemed to take far too long, but eventually, they reached an area where insects and birds were alive with energy around them. It seemed so loud after the unnatural quiet of the town. 

Keith slipped out of the saddle and tied off his horse on a tree before going over to help the wolf down from Shiro’s horse. 

“So what was that? And why weren’t you and the wolf affected as much?” Keith asked. Shiro might have seemed a little sleepy, too but it was nothing compared to how Keith had felt. If Shiro hadn’t dragged him to the horses, he was sure that it would have been all too easy to just sit down and not get back up again. 

“I’m not sure. There are a few things that could do something like that. And as for the wolf and I, it’s probably our innate powers granting us some protection. But honestly, I’m not sure it would protect us indefinitely.” 

“How about long enough to fix this?” Keith asked. He didn’t want to get stuck sleeping indefinitely in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere but he also didn’t feel right just leaving everyone. 

“Maybe? It depends what caused this…” 

“What are the options?” 

“You have a lot of faith in my knowledge,” Shiro said looking a bit frustrated and amused. 

Keith shrugged. “You spend your winters basically snowed in a giant library. You can’t tell me you don’t know a ton of stuff.”

“Fair. But some of it is only theoretical or more legend than truth.” 

“Still better than what I know,” Keith said. 

“With what we saw, I’d guess it’s a curse of some sort.”

“Ugh,” Keith groaned. Nothing good ever came from curses. 

Shiro gave him a look that said he very much agreed with that assessment of curses. “It could be a spell that will undo on its own. Those are usually cast by someone planning on doing mischief of some sort and not wanting anyone to put up a fight and to get a good head start escaping.” 

Keith nodded. They hadn’t seen any sign of something like that at the pub but the people targeted could easily be at the other end of the town. They’d have to check all of the homes to get a better idea of anything or anyone was missing, or dead. 

“How long do those spells last?” 

“A day or two. It could be pushed up to five but that seems a waste of power for a town so small.”

“Okay. I guess we could always set up camp outside of the town for a day or two and see if this passes. What are the other options?” 

“It could be a cursed object. A lot of people don’t recognize them for what they are, go to use them, and then the spell releases. Again, it could be from bandits wanting to do mischief or just a long-forgotten item that got passed into the wrong hands.” 

“Great. And to stop that?”

“Typically you find the item and remove it or destroy it,” Shiro said. 

It sounded like a pain to try and find a cursed item but it could still be faster than waiting out a spell. Assuming that they didn’t get caught up in the curse while hunting for the object. 

“Any other options?” He was hoping the next idea was an easier one to solve. 

“An active curse. Those are fueled by the person who cast it and the only way to break them are to do what was stipulated in the casting, let it run its usually long course, or find the caster and get them to lift it.” 

“Like in fairy tales? With a kiss to wake up a sleeping princess?” Keith asked. 

“Exactly. Though even if you are a prince, I’m not sure going around and kissing everyone will lift the curse.” 

Keith crossed his arms and frowned hoping Shiro wouldn’t notice the rosy tinge rising to his cheeks. “I wasn’t going to start kissing sleeping strangers. That’s weird… And it might not even be that one anyway… It’s not that one, is it?”

“I’m not sure. Be quiet for a minute,” Shiro said before turning to look at the town. It was obvious he was drawing on his powers and channelling that energy to his sight as his eyes began to glow a faint blue-white colour. “I don’t see any active power source of the curse leading away from the town. So it’s either a spell that will run its course in time or a cursed item.” 

“You can’t detect a cursed item with your glowing eyes?” Keith asked hoping it was okay to talk now that Shiro had. “Wouldn’t it read as unholy or something to your paladin senses?” Keith asked. 

“If I was near it I could sense it. But in a town, even one this small, there is a lot of interference. People give off a mixture of energies and many people like to buy enchanted items for their homes. It’s hard to accurately read the difference between a person who likes mischief, a charm that wards off ill luck and a cursed object when they all blend together.” 

“I can see your point. So, how long do you think we’d have immunity for before the curse catches us?”

“Hard to say. I think I could go for a couple of hours but I don’t think you should risk more than half that. And you have to keep moving. I fear that if either of us stops to sit we’d be tempted to not get back up. But do you really plan on risking it to help them? It could just pass on its own.” 

“It’s risky. But I have to at least try. I’m surprised you don’t want to.” 

“I didn’t say that. But I swore to help you with your troubles in your kingdom to the best of my abilities and that means staying close to you as you travel. If you insisted on moving on, I’d go with you. Though I’d pen a letter to the nearest temple to request paladins be sent out to investigate.”

“Hmm..” Keith considered his words. It made sense and they were in a hurry. But even if paladins from another temple came, it could be days or even weeks before they arrived and solved the issue. He wasn’t sure if the sleeping curse kept them in stasis and even if it did, there was no guarantee a team of bandits wouldn’t happen upon the town when everyone was defenceless. “No. I still want to help. Let’s assume we’re looking for a cursed object. If we don’t find it in the next two days, and the spell doesn’t lift on its own in that time, then we head out and you can send word to the other paladins.” 

Keith knew he wouldn’t want to leave after two days if they still hadn’t saved the town but difficult decisions were part of being a leader. And even if it was just him and Shiro right now, he also had to think about his parents and his people who were preparing for war. He could spare the town two days. After that, they’d have to carry on. 

“Alright. Let’s get the horses unsaddled and eat lunch before we start. You can tell me more about the town and we can figure out how we want to search,” Shiro said. 

Keith wanted to start now but it was important to look after the horses and it made sense to keep their energy up and eat. “Sure. And if we don’t find that cursed item by tonight, I say we stop by a shop and take some food. We can leave money behind…” 

Shiro smiled at him and gave a nod before turning to tend to his horse. At least a paladin of Atlas wasn’t so pure and perfect that he was above taking food without asking. 

-0-0-0-0-0-

They were on their third trip into town since their lunch break and Shiro couldn’t help but anxiously keep an eye on Keith. He didn’t want the prince getting caught up in the spell by accident and it was quickly becoming clear to him that Keith was the type of man to push himself beyond his limitations if allowed. 

Still, even with Keith pushing their established time limits a little, they hadn’t made as much progress as either of them would have liked. Shiro still wanted to check out the bakery but even with the town being so small, he was quite a ways into it from where they had made camp. So on their first expedition back into the town, they had opted to check out a couple more houses to make sure that everyone was just sleeping and nobody was harmed or ill. So far, everyone had the same symptoms as those in the pub. Asleep, unable to wake up, but fine. 

The second trip had them stopping into the general store to see if the cursed object might have been there. Shiro has seen plenty of intriguing items and they had picked up a couple of snacks, properly paid for, but there’d been no cursed object as far as he could tell. 

“Let’s try to get to the baker this time,” Shiro said as they walked down the same street for the fourth time today. 

“You’re really keen on the bakery. Are you sure you just don’t like baked goods?” Keith asked. 

“While I do like breads and pastries, this has nothing to do with that. I still want to see if we can get a better idea of when the curse happened and my instincts are telling me to go there.” Shiro was never the type to ignore his instincts. They had had rarely led him astray. 

“And you have good instincts?” 

“Of course. How can you have faith in others if you don’t have faith in yourself?” Shiro asked. 

“Huh… I’ve never thought of it that way.” 

Keith looked more contemplative than the comment called for so Shiro reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. When Keith looked up at him, he gave his shoulder a soft squeeze. “I’m sure whatever you’re thinking it isn’t true.” This was no time for self-doubt. 

Keith didn’t say anything but after a moment, his eyes cleared a little and he gave a nod. That would do for now. 

“Bakery?” 

“Bakery,” Keith said as he took those first steps that would bring him into the town and the spell that surrounded it. 

“Did you visit the bakery on your way through?” Shiro asked as they passed the pub. 

“No. I talked to people at the pub the night before and then just quickly stocked up at the store before heading out again. I didn’t spend a lot of time here,” Keith said. 

“It’s too bad you haven’t had more chances to enjoy the places you’ve been to.” Shiro thought a long vacation and getting to socialize with a variety of people would be good for the young prince who seemed far too haunted for a man his age.

“I think I’d get bored if I didn’t have things to do. And I still managed to see a lot even if I was just passing through. A lot of places I had to stay at least a day to be able to find out about their gods and who to go to to ask for help.”

Shiro didn’t think that was the same thing as actually pausing long enough to take in the sights and people and just enjoy life. But maybe Keith was right and he wasn’t the type for peaceful contemplation. Or maybe he just hadn’t the opportunity to find out if he could enjoy a quiet afternoon away from any responsibilities. 

“You must have learned a lot on your journeys.” 

“Yeah.I guess. Probably more than my poor tutors tried to teach me. I learn better by doing than by books,” Keith said, looking slightly uncomfortable at the confession. 

“You don’t have to be embarrassed by that. Even some initiates learn better from stories and practice than by reading. Everyone learns differently.” 

“Thanks. It’s pretty clear why you’re such a popular teacher, you know… you’re good at this.” 

“I’m popular?” Shiro asked. He knew that those at the temple liked to seek him out for counsel or help with various tasks but he didn’t realize that the initiates enjoyed his classes more than others. 

“Super popular. You really don’t know? I was there for two days and all I heard the whole time was how great you are and how they’ll all miss you. And of course how lucky I am and how much I’ll learn. You’re their hero,” Keith said.

Shiro grinned at that and couldn’t wait to get back to tease the older paladins about it since he was sure some of those words had come from them. “And what do you think so far? Does the legend live up to the person?”

“Hmmm,” Keith hummed in contemplation as he looked Shiro up and down. “Still deciding. But so far I’m not disappointed.” 

“I’ll have to work harder to impress,” Shiro said and gave a silly wink. It should have just been playful banter but for some reason, there was a tension in the air and Shiro felt heat rise to his cheeks. 

Keith turned away quickly and Shiro wondered if he was blushing, too.

“Uh… the bakery. It’s there,” Keith stuttered out. 

“Oh? Uh.. yeah, great.” Shiro tried to brush off the strange mood that had come over them and instead focused on finding a cursed object. 

When he tried the door, it opened easily and he pulled it open fully before looking in. Not noticing any immediate threats, he gestured for Keith to go in first. He followed and took a look around the storefront. 

It was rather small but it was clean and looked well organized to display the most products. So far, only baguettes were on the shelf but Shiro was sure on normal days there would be a large assortment of things to choose from. 

“It looks like he was up when the curse hit,” Shiro said as he eyed the baguettes.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Keith said, his voice muffled slightly from the curtain that separated the front of the shop from the back baking area. 

“What is it?” Shiro asked as he pushed aside the curtain. He would have walked into the room but there wasn’t enough space to move around, especially with the big guy, most likely their baker given his clothes, passed out on the floor. “Oh, well it seems we have a better idea of when the curse happened. But now we just need to know why.”

Keith bent down to check on the baker and then rearranged his limbs a little so he looked more comfortable. “Does the time give you any idea about the curse? Keith asked.

“A little. If you were a robber or kidnapper, when would you most want to strike a town?” 

“Middle of the night,” Keith said immediately. 

Shiro nodded and then pointed to their baker friend. “And when do you think he starts baking?”

“Just before dawn?” Keith was less sure of his answer that time but Shiro still gave a nod. I was right enough to prove his point. 

“Far too late in the night for mischief makers to want to start their work,” Shiro said. 

“Even if the curse puts everyone to sleep?” 

“They would still want to put distance between themselves and the town before anyone came through and started asking questions,” Shiro pointed out. 

“Soooo…” Keith dragged the word out into a thoughtful sound as he stood and looked around the bakery and then at Shiro. “Cursed object?” 

“That would be my best guess. And given when it went off, I wonder if it’s here.”

“You think the baker cursed the town?” 

“On accident. But yes. There could be others who were up at the time, but he’s our best lead so far. And it would have had to have been someone awake to set the curse off.” 

“So what are we looking for?” Keith asked. Shiro appreciated that while Keith had strong opinions and his own strengths of knowledge he was still willing to defer to Shiro in certain areas. It certainly made travelling together easier. 

“Cursed objects can be anything. But since it’s such a small area, I should be able to sense it. Let’s switch spots,” Shiro said. Keith nodded but instead of waiting for Shiro to step back so they could switch in the roomier shop front he just wiggled himself between Shiro and a large stack of flour to let Shiro further into the room. 

Shiro couldn’t stop himself from reaching out a hand to help balance Keith as he stumbled to his spot by the door. He let go as soon as he was sure Keith was okay and then turned swiftly to focus on the room. They didn’t have time for distractions, especially since Keith was already yawning again. It seemed repeat visits was just making Keith more susceptible to the curse. 

Looking around the crowded room, Shiro tried to guess what the cursed object could be before channelling some of his power into his vision. He knew his eyes glowed while he did so and Keith’s sharply inhaled breath told him that Keith still wasn’t used to such shows of power. 

Tuning out Keith and other distractions, Shiro took a breath and sorted through the energies he could see in the room. There was surprisingly a lot of them, especially around the equipment. They were glowing a soft yellow and seemed linked to the baker on the floor. Clearly, the man cared deeply about his profession and the tools of the trade to form a spiritual attachment with them. 

Just as he was about to move his search to the front room, he spotted purple energy in the corner. He stepped carefully around the baker and gently moved aside some bread racks to see an odd contraption on the back counter in the corner. It was surrounded by various tools and other small machines and Shiro wondered if the baker had a hobby for tinkering or if it belonged to someone else in his family and his baking had just disturbed the purple object. 

He leaned in closer to it and definitely felt the cursed nature of the device in the air around it. “I found it,” Shiro said. 

“Really? I didn’t think it would be that easy.” 

“We’ve spent nearly half the day looking for it. I’m not sure that was easy.” 

“Yeah, but we still found it. What do we do now?” Keith asked, his voice coming from right behind Shiro now. 

“Now we destroy it.” 

“Okay. How do we do that?” Keith asked. 

Shiro let his powers fade and moved aside slightly so Keith could see the cursed object better. “A hammer?”

“Seriously?” 

Shiro shrugged. “Sometimes the vessel holding the curse just needs to be damaged enough to lose its shape. Other times it needs to be completely destroyed, and in rare occasions, the curse needs to be unravelled.” He could do the last one but the curse would probably pull Keith into its web before he could do so. Even for him, it would take time to untangle a curse placed on an object since he wouldn’t want to cause any backlash and harm the town. 

Keith pondered the tools before pointing a large rubber mallet on the workbench. “Here or outside?” 

“Here should be fine,” Shiro said. And this time it was him wiggling past Keith to let him closer to the table. 

“So just keep hitting until the big guy wakes up?” 

“That’s about the gist of it. There’s no reason why the curse shouldn’t lift immediately once broken.” 

“Well here goes…” Keith lifted the mallet and brought it down with enough force to take a part of the object and send it flying down the workbench. 

Shiro was about to step forward to see if he wanted help but Keith didn’t stop. Instead, he better braced the object with one hand and brought the mallet down again and again until it resembled more of an oddly shaped serving platter than the strange device it once had been. 

Just as Keith was winding up for another strong hit, there was a gasp and a groan from behind them. 

“Is that- It worked!” Keith said giving the device one more whack before setting the mallet down. 

“W-what?! Wh-who's there?!” The baker stammered out. 

Shiro was trying to get to the man but Keith squeezed past him and burst out behind the large shelves and contraptions first. “You’re okay!”

The man gave a yelp and did it again when Shiro finally nudged Keith out of the way enough so he could step into view, too. 

“Who are you? Why are you in my shop? Why am I on the ground?” The man was scrambling on the ground as if wondering if he should back away or stand up. 

“We’re sorry for the scare. I promise, we mean you no harm,” Shiro started, tone soothing. 

“Yeah. We just had to come in here because you cursed the town to sleep. But don’t worry. We just bashed on this thing a bit and the curse lifted.” Keith held up the flattened gadget so the baker could see. 

The baker understandably paled and looked even less soothed by Keith’s words. Shiro sighed and reached out to lower Keith’s arm. Apparently, the prince had a heart of gold but the social skills of a cave troll. 

“What he means to say, is when we came upon the town, everyone was sleeping. So we decided to check in here since bakers are notoriously one of the first people up on any given day,” Shiro paused and got the small nod and slightly more relaxed look he knew he would get from acknowledging the hard work of a baker, “When we came in, I noticed a dark energy that didn’t belong and it led us to your device. We don’t think you were at fault. But clearly whoever you bought this gizmo from, didn’t know about the spell attached,” Shiro explained in the calmest voice he could. 

Hunk nodded and then looked between the flattened gadget and Shiro. “But how could you tell it was cursed?” He asked. 

“Shiro’s from the temple of Atlas. He’s a gifted a paladin,” Keith said. 

“Really?” The baker finally scrambled up off the ground to obviously get a better look at him but Shiro noted that he still didn’t seem comfortable around them. 

“I’ve taken a leave from the temple to join Keith on his journey home. He did warn me that trouble liked to find him.” 

“Wow. I’m glad you’re here. I’ve never met anyone from the temple before. Was it really a curse?” 

“Yeah. It put everyone to sleep. You’re lucky you set it off when you did. I mean, if it had been the middle of the day and everyone was out working who knows what could have happened,” Keith said seemingly oblivious to the effect his words were having on the baker. 

“Keith,” Shiro whispered sternly. “We don’t need to worry about the what-if scenarios. Everything worked out and as far as we could tell, everyone and everything is safe,” Shiro reassured. 

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“You’re welcome to see for yourself. We honestly didn’t mean to startle you. By the way, we didn’t properly introduce ourselves. I’m Shiro and this is my travelling companion Keith.” He decided to leave off titles as it would probably just set the baker even more on edge. 

“Oh right. Sorry about that. I usually have more manners but uh… well with everything…” He paused and brushed his hands on his apron, probably a habit form many hours baking and being covered with flour, and then held it out. “I’m Hunk. I’ve been the baker here for three years. I like to tinker around when I have time, especially with things that make baking easier. Shay thinks it’s cute… but I’m not sure how I’m going to tell her about this.” 

Shiro reached out to take his hand and gave it a firm shake and then let go but Keith didn’t reach to shake it. Perhaps it was a custom Marmorites didn’t practice.

“Shay?” Keith asked. 

“My uh… she’s my girlfriend,” Hunk said, his whole face turning red. 

“I’m sure she’ll understand it was a mistake,” Shiro said. “Why don’t you go find her and make sure she’s alright.” 

“That’s a good plan. I uh… I want to thank you guys. I don’t really know what happened but it sounds like I messed up pretty bad. And just… just don’t leave the town before I can thank you. But I’m going to go check on Shay,” Hunk said. And after a moment’s hesitation reached out and pulled Keith into a hug and then turned and did the same to Shiro. 

Shiro gave a chuckle as Hunk ran out and then looked at Keith and laughed harder. “You okay?” He looked like someone just threw ice down his shirt. 

“Uhh yeah… just not used to hugs from strangers. Especially ones that strong.” 

Shiro nodded in understanding. As the prince of a kingdom, Keith probably didn’t get touched much by people outside his family and his close friend circle. “I’m sure he didn’t mean any disrespect. He seems like a friendly guy.” 

“I got that part. So, do you think he’s going to thank us in bread?” Keith asked clearly changing the subject from hugs. 

“I have no doubt we’ll be eating well for the next few days.” 

“Good. Because I’m starving for something other than our dry rations. Do you think by the time we get the horses and the wolf that the pub will be open?”

“If not, maybe they’ll still let us get a room and we clean up,” Shiro said. 

“Are you saying I smell?” Keith asked with a small smile ruining what was probably supposed to be an offended look. 

“I’m saying we both smell. Maybe we can even get some of our clothes washed, too,” Shiro said. 

Keith looked down at himself and while his clothes were well made they certainly were no longer pristine. “Okay. Fair point. Though you’re definitely a spoiled temple paladin even if you say you aren’t,” Keith said while he reached out to tug at Shiro’s dirty cloak. 

“Taking advantage of a break to get clean is not being spoiled.” Shiro couldn’t believe he was having this argument with a prince of all people. 

“Uh-huh. If you say so.”

“Keith,” Shiro said. 

“Yes, Shiro?” Keith said giving him an innocent look that only worked because of how big and expressive Keith’s eyes were. 

“You’re a royal pain is what you are.” 

“Glad you noticed. Come on. Let’s get the horses and check on the wolf. I want food and a long bath before we start planning our next leg of the journey.” 

“Yes, your highness,” Shiro said with enough of a dry tone that had Keith playfully slapping his arm before heading out. 

Shiro took a moment to pick up the now discarded device and let his powers move to his eyes once more. The curse was broken now and there’d be no way to reactivate it but still, Shiro called up some power into his hand and created a protective bubble around the deformed piece of metal before tucking it into his pocket. 

Either Keith was telling the truth about being a magnet for trouble, which meant he really needed to pray to Atlas or Nemea to get that particular trait removed, or there was a string of coincidences starting to pile up around them. 

It was too soon to tell and hopefully, it was nothing but Shiro’s instincts rarely led him astray. And right now, they were telling him that he needed to stay close to Keith. He gave the bakery one last glance before letting his eyes fade back to their usual grey colour and headed out to join Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that chapter took longer than I expected to get out. March/April ended up being a lot busier than anticipated. But I have time to write again so hopefully, the wait for the next chapter won't be nearly as long. 
> 
> The boys got to meet Hunk and he's sure to fill them up to bursting with baked goods before he sends them on their way. 
> 
> I'm still debating who they should run into next. It will either be Pidge or Lance.


	5. Safe and Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro arrive at a large temple on a lake and are greeted by initiate Lance. But while everyone at the temple is welcoming, something just doesn't feel right.

“This is the last of the salty butter rolls Hunk gave us, do you want it?” Keith asked as he dug around in the food pack. They were getting near the bottom of it but unless something unexpected happened they should reach the next town in time for dinner. 

Right now they were taking a break by a small stream and letting the horses and themselves have a rest. The wolf was nearby sniffing around and Keith was happy to see that after a few days of being mostly off of his feet that he was feeling better. 

“No, you can have it if you want. What else do we have left?” Shiro asked from where he was refilling their waterskins. 

“Hmmm… There are the dried berry and nuts one, the curry-spiced one, and a...whatever this one was,” Keith said holding up a twisted up pastry. 

“I’ll leave you with the mystery one and take the other two,” Shiro said. He came back to Keith and handed him his water before taking the two pastries from him with a grateful smile and a thanks. 

“You’re so plotting a way to go back and visit Hunk again, aren’t you? Going to volunteer to help lead the building and setting up of the new temple they just have to have?” Keith asked, teasing Shiro. The paladin had been most enthusiastic about all of the treats that Hunk had sent them off with and had expressed how he had to send the temple bakers down to visit Hunk and pick up some tips because it was all so good. 

“No… well maybe a little. It would be nice to visit again. And if the town does want a temple, I’ll have more of a reason to.” 

“You’ll be able to stop by when you head home after helping Marmora,” Keith said. He was certainly focusing on the when and not if. Marmora would be saved. Though he had to admit he wouldn’t mind overly much if Shiro decided to stay in Marmora a bit longer. There may not be a lot of work for a paladin of Atlas in Marmora but he had no doubt that Shiro’s skills could be used in the capital somewhere. 

“Unless I take another route,” Shiro said before taking a large bite of the curry bread. 

“Yeah. I guess the mountain passes would be open by then but are you sure it would be safe? I hear those paths are more treacherous,” Keith said. Even he had decided against them after his first encounter with bandits on the mountain paths had nearly cost him his life. It was pure luck that had let him escape even if he had had to abandon his horse. 

“I can handle myself. But your concern is appreciated.”

“If you say so… Maybe we should spar the next time we have an early night and still have energy,” Keith said. He hadn’t really had a chance to see Shiro in proper action despite the other telling him that paladins were trained in fighting as well as spiritual ways. 

“I’d like that. But don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re a prince.” 

“Same. Just because you’re a temple hermit, doesn’t mean I’ll hold back.”

They shared a look before they both laughed causing the wolf to startle and pop out of existence. 

“Woah!” Keith said springing to his feet and looking around. “What was that?!” 

“I told you that the wolf could teleport. It seems he’s healed enough to make it work,” Shiro said standing up beside Keith and putting a hand on his shoulder. It had startled him the first few times but now it felt nice and reassuring. 

“Is he gone for good? Did he go home?” Keith asked. It would be good for the wolf if he was healed enough and comfortable going home where he probably had friends and family but Keith would miss his company. They’d only had him a week and already Keith felt a bond with him. 

“I don’t think so. He’s still recovering even if he’s better. And you do spoil him. No wise creature would give that up easily.” 

“Then where did he go?” Keith asked looking around the clearing and then jumping slightly as the wolf suddenly popped into existence in front of him. 

“Woah!” Keith said again. The move was no less impressive the second time. He quickly bent down and reached out to pet the wolf behind the ears. “Are you okay? Did we startle you? Sorry about that.” 

The wolf bumped his head against Keith’s hand and closed his eyes, tail wagging. Apparently, everything was just fine between them again. 

“That was amazing,” Keith said in awe to both the wolf and Shiro. 

“The world and all its creatures are all rather amazing,” Shiro said. He moved back to the log he had been sitting on and picked up what was left of his curry bread.

“Yeah. It really is. I just wish the good could outweigh the bad,” Keith said. He kept one hand resting on the wolf while he picked up his food with the other. 

“It usually does. And we’ll both work hard to make sure it does again for your people. Maybe we’ll even be able to help the people of Altea or those in Galra who don’t side with their emperor,” Shiro said. 

“Maybe… I guess for now we focus on getting to the next town,” Keith said. He didn’t want to waste time being maudlin when there was work to be done. He was too far away to do anything for his people just yet so it was best to use his energy to helping those around him and getting himself to Marmora. 

“Yes. It’s the town of Naebuc. Did you stop there on your way to the temple? Shiro asked. 

“Yeah. Just a quick stop though. I didn’t find the help I was looking for there.” 

“Really? I know there’s a fairly large temple to Atlas there. Did you not visit them.” 

“I did… but well… I don’t know. Things didn’t work out how I wanted,” Keith said. He didn’t really want to insult others in Shiro’s order in front of him but his experience at that temple hadn’t been anything like the one on Shiro’s mountain.

They had been nice enough to him but the atmosphere also made his skin crawl for some reason. It wasn’t even that he didn’t think they’d want to help, it was that he felt like their help wasn’t what he wanted. It was hard to explain why that temple had made him uncomfortable but he had still felt like Atlas could help him and he just needed a bigger and better temple. Perhaps it was stubbornness or desperation but something in him told him that he had to go big or go home. And there was no way he was returning without doing his all to get his people help. 

“I see…” Shiro said, his lips turning down in the corner in a slight frown as a crease appeared between his brows. 

“Really, it wasn’t that bad. It just felt like they couldn’t give me what I needed. We can still stop there if you want though,” Keith said. He knew that Shiro had hoped to spend some time with the other temples they encountered on their way to Marmora. At least until the temples of Atlas faded out to be replaced by the next deity. 

Shiro’s expression cleared a bit as if he understood more than what Keith had shared and he nodded. “I think stopping by would be good for us. We can resupply and get a good night’s rest for free. And I can see if they’ve heard anything from the borders and beyond,” Shiro said. 

That all sounded very reasonable and Keith was sure he’d get a friendly reception with such a highly respected paladin at his side. 

“Alright. Have you been to this temple before?” Keith asked. He could never quite tell how often Shiro had been off his mountain and just how far he had travelled. When they shared stories it seemed as if Shiro had seen quite a lot of the kingdom that Atlas protected and other times, it seemed as if he’d missed large areas that surely he’d have had to go through to reach the other towns. 

Keith tried not to think too hard on it. Who knew how paladins travelled and what they noticed when they did. 

“I’ve been a few times. The last time was a couple of years ago. There were reports of trouble and I went to investigate them.”

“Trouble?” Keith asked genuinely curious about what sort of trouble would bring a paladin from another temple into the city. 

“It’s a long story but it mostly comes down to a demon possession,” Shiro said.

Keith made a face at that. If there was one thing common across all of the kingdoms it was their hatred and fear of demons, especially possessions. “Did you save the person?” As far as Keith knew, it was nearly impossible to rescue the person possessed but he also thought that if anyone could, it would probably be Shiro. 

“How about I tell you on the road. We should head out if want to reach the temple in time for their dinner hours.” 

“Alright,” Keith said. He shoved the last of the salty butter roll in his mouth and tucked the weird twisty bread into a handkerchief to hang from his belt. He’d eat it as they travelled. 

“Come on, wolf. Are you going to teleport or do you want a ride?” Keith asked. He didn’t think it would be right to assume that the wolf still needed to ride on the horse if he was walking better and his teleport skills were back. 

He got his answer though as the wolf teleported out of existence and back into it beside his horse. His horse didn’t even startle, just looking unimpressed with the wolf. 

“I think you’ve adopted a lazy pet,” Shiro said as he started tightening the saddle on his horse. 

“He’s not a pet. And he’s being cautious, not lazy,” Keith said, defending the wolf. Though he was sure that Shiro didn’t mean it. And even if the wolf was lazy, Keith would still let him ride with him. His horse was sturdy and the wolf wasn’t a horrible riding companion now that they’ve figured out how to ride together. 

Besides, he’d never had a pet growing up and even if the wild mythical beast wasn’t a dog, he allowed himself to pretend a little that he was and that he was his. A long trip home was infinitely more fun with a loyal dog and a friend at his side. 

-0-0-0-0-

“I forgot how impressive the temple was here,” Keith said as they rode their horses into the square in front of the large temple. It dwarfed most buildings in the city except for the lord’s manor that was more like a small castle. Maybe that’s why Keith had never felt fully welcome in its doors. Despite being a prince, he was never fully comfortable with all the finery and pretentiousness that the noble class often enjoyed. He was thankful that the castle he lived in was more practical than pretty. 

“It took over a decade to construct and another decade to finish all of the details of the carvings and stain glass. It’s a masterpiece of human craftsmanship,” Shiro said. 

“Yeah… but a bit over the top. I thought Atlas liked more down to earth stuff.” 

“Can’t a god like both?” 

“I guess…” Keith still thought it was a bit ridiculous. Surely all the time and money that went to building it could have gone somewhere more useful. 

“People take pride in showing their devotion and the people of this city decided to show it through one of the most magnificent temples in the realms. Perhaps it’s not the most practical building but it brings joy to those around it and it attracts visitors from far and wide wishing to see it or even study it,” Shiro explained. 

Well, that made more sense and Keith suspected that those visiting the temple did a lot for the bustling nature of the city around it. 

“I think I like your temple more,” Keith said as he dismounted his horse and started to help his wolf get free. 

“The mountain temple has its own charms, that’s true,” Shiro said. “Let’s see if there’s an initiate or servant around who can handle the horses. I fear we’re cutting it close for dinner.” Shiro brought his horse over to the poles obviously meant for temple goers to leave their horses at and easily tied the reins to it. 

Keith was just doing the same when he heard a loud voice yelling across the courtyard, the obvious owner of the voice running down the steps and toward them. 

“A-A-Atlas almighty! It’s you!” The man was thin and not much taller than Keith and dressed in the robes of a high-level initiate if Keith remembered the brief rundown he got from Kinkade correctly. It at least told Keith that the man wasn’t some crazy person looking to harm him or Shiro so he kept his dagger sheathed and just moved closer to Shiro. 

“It’s really you!” The man said as he reached them, an awed filled look in his eyes. 

“It’s me,” Shiro said with a pleasant smile and a slightly confused look. 

“Do you know this weirdo?” Keith asked, leaning in towards him. 

“I meet a lot of people. I don’t always remember everyone. He seems familiar though.” 

“You forgot me?” The man suddenly seemed near tears and despondent at this.“You helped out my family two years ago. You really saved us.” 

Shiro considered the man and then it was like a light dawned. “Lance, right? From the academy? Weren’t you studying to be a mage?” 

“You do remember! That’s why you’re the best. Everyone’s going to be so excited that you’re here. But uh… why are you travelling with this guy? He’s totally suspicious. I met him a few weeks ago skulking about and asking all sorts of weird questions.” 

“Huh. We met?” Keith asked. He really didn’t remember the guy but he’d also asked as many people as he could about who he could ask for help against an invading army. 

“Yes, we met. You were totally thankful for my help. Had nothing but praise to say even if you were asking really lame questions everyone should already know.”

“That doesn’t sound like me,” Keith muttered to himself. 

“Anyway. What are you doing at the temple now?” Shiro asked, thankfully cutting Lance off before he could come up with more weird stories. 

“Well, after you helped my family. I thought maybe I didn’t want to be a mage but a paladin.” Lance’s cheeks were turning red and Keith wanted to roll his eyes. Talk about a bad case of hero worship. 

“I’m glad I could inspire such devotion,” Shiro said. “How are your new studies going?” 

Keith was amazed that Shiro could ask that and sound like he really cared. Maybe he did really care. Shiro was sort of amazing like that. Probably why he was some high ranking paladin and Keith definitely never would be even if he wanted to. 

“Good. Only one more year before I’m fully initiated as a paladin. My prior mage training helped a lot,” Lance said.

“That’s amazing. You should consider visiting the main temple for some advanced training once you’ve completed your novice years as a paladin.” 

“Really? I’d love to. I’ve heard so many stories about it.” 

“Just don’t go in winter,” Keith put in. 

“Well duh. Who would try to climb a mountain in wint-oh… you did, huh?” Lance asked looking rather unimpressed. 

“He had cause to. Even as an initiate you know that the temples receive all kinds of people in need. It is not our way to judge those who seek answers but to help them find it and keep them safe in the process,” Shiro said. 

Lance looked suitably chastised but still far too eager to have Shiro around. Keith hoped they could move on swiftly. He didn’t hate the guy, but they definitely rubbed each other the wrong way. Maybe if he had the time they could figure out a truce. Probably one involving Shiro giving them his ‘I’m proud of you’ face and not the ‘I’m disappointed in you’ frown but time wasn’t something Keith had right now. 

“Yes, of course. But we also don’t want people to put themselves in danger and climbing up a mountain in a snowstorm is definitely dangerous.” 

“Well I survived so it wasn’t that dangerous,” Keith said. He was not going to mention how he’d almost gotten lost and at times how tempting it was just to sit down and take a rest. Though he was smart enough to know that if he did that he might have never got back up again. 

“Anyway, we were hoping to get some dinner and a place to stay for the night,” Shiro said. 

“Oh, right! And I’ll make sure your horses are cared for and uh… is that a wolf? Did you paint him?” 

“Thank you. And no, it’s a mystic wolf. He’s from another reality and quite harmless. He was injured and we’re looking after him until he’s recovered,” Shiro said. 

“Well if you vouch for the wolf, and I guess for him, then I guess you’re all welcomed into the Temple of Atlas for the night. It’s safe and warm so you won’t have to worry about anything and you’re in for a treat. I’ll get you a room that overlooks the lake,” Lance said, happily babbling on about the lake and the view as he led them further into the temple and towards where Keith could hear the usual clatter of mealtime.

“So that Lance guy was really excited to see you,” Keith said once Lance had finally left them alone in the room they’d been assigned. He was pretty sure Lance would have stayed the whole night or suggested Keith take his room and he’d take the second bed here if he thought he could get away with it. 

Lance’s hero worship was almost painful to witness, and Keith really hoped he didn’t come across that way when listening to Shiro’s stories, but Shiro had been gracious through it all even if he had started to look a bit tired by the end of it. Though if that was just from a long day or from Lance’s story about his turn in the kitchens resulting in something more resembling goo than food, Keith couldn’t say. 

“I tend to have that effect on younger initiates. I hope he didn’t bother you,” Shiro said. He was currently sitting on the sole chair in the room and tugging off his boots. 

“Don’t worry about. With him talking it meant I didn’t have to worry about doing anything but eating,” Keith said. And while he may have liked to have been included in the conversations a bit more, he really was too tired from several days on the road to care much about it. 

“True. Lance seems skilled at talking enough for all of us. But his enthusiasm is part of his charm and once he can channel that into being a paladin, I think he’ll be quite a good one?” 

“Yeah?” Keith asked. He was a bit skeptical since Lance didn’t seem anything like the paladins he had met so far. 

“Time, trust, and responsibilities can do a lot for a person.” Shiro stood and tucked his boots out of the way and then started to take off the outer tunic he was wearing that clearly denoted him as a paladin before pausing. 

“I wonder…” Was all Shiro said before moving to the floor-length curtains and pulling them back to reveal two doors. “I thought so…” He opened the door and stepped out of them leaving Keith confused and with no choice but to follow. 

“You thought what?” Keith asked as he stepped back out to the cooler evening air. He paused just outside of the door and took in the view with a bit of awe. 

While the front of the temple looked onto a courtyard and the city, the back butted up against the edge of a lake and it was beautiful. 

“Wow,” Keith said as he finally moved to the railing beside Shiro. He could understand why Shiro kept his tunic on. While the valley the city was in was warm enough to not need their outer layers right now, Keith wouldn’t want to take any more off with the cool breeze drifting in from over the lake. 

“It’s magnificent, isn’t it? The temple actually predates the city. So they have one of the most beautiful spots in the valley,” Shiro explained. 

“It really is. Do you think Atlas enjoyed spending their time here when it was first built?” Keith asked. 

“Certainly. Though I don’t see why Atlas wouldn’t still enjoy it,” Shiro said. 

Keith shrugged and supposed he couldn’t argue with that. Just because Nemea had fallen silent didn’t mean that Atlas still didn’t visit their temples. 

He pulled his lion carving out of his pocket, painted red but chipping away to reveal the black stone beneath it and set it on the railing while he pondered gods and the beautiful nature around them. 

He wondered if Nemea would like it here, too? Maybe their god had gotten bored with Marmora and gone adventuring. 

He was pulled by his thoughts by a splash of water that carried up to them and he looked over the darkening lake to see if he could spot it. He thought he saw a person but when he blinked all he saw was a large fin disappearing back into the depths of the lake. 

“Did you see that?” Keith asked Shiro who was leaning back against the wall and looking out over the view and lost in his own quiet contemplations. It was one thing Keith liked about Shiro. He seemed to have a knack for knowing when to interrupt Keith’s thoughts and when to let him be. 

“See what?” Shiro asked pushing off the wall to move to the railing again. 

“I heard a splash and thought I saw a person but when I looked again there was just a fish or something.” Maybe he was more tired than he thought. 

“It’s far too cold yet to go swimming… and it’s late enough that the shadows can play tricks on your sight,” Shiro said though he was scanning the lake with purpose as if to see if he could verify what Keith had seen. 

“Yeah. You’re probably right. It’s been a long day, too. Even the wolf has already gone to bed.” And Keith was going to have to wrestle with the beast to get enough room on his own bed and to steal some blankets from under him. 

“Perhaps he has the right idea. Come. I’ll find someone to take care of laundering our clothes and we can go find the baths. I know you want to reach home swiftly but spending a couple of nights here to refresh and restock will do us good. I don’t think there are any other towns on our path for quite some time after this.” 

“None worth mentioning. Though there are a couple taverns and outposts I remember passing by if we need them,” Keith said. “And I’m sure you’ve already been asked to do a million favours while you’re here, right?” 

“The head paladin here may have asked if I could do one or two things… Sharing knowledge and skills is part of the job and I did say I could only promise them a day.” 

“I understand. You’re a big deal and you have oaths and stuff. We can sort everything out over breakfast. Right now, bath, clean clothes, bed,” Keith said. 

Shiro nodded and gestured for him to head back inside before closing and locking the door the at lead out to the balcony. 

-0-0-0-0-

Mornings started way too early in the temples as far as Keith was concerned. Even as tired as he was, it was impossible to sleep through the loud bells tolling throughout the temple and the bustling of people beyond their door.

By the time he gave up on sleeping and opened his eyes, he wasn’t surprised to see Shiro already dressed and looking chipper. 

Keith groaned. 

“Good morning, Keith,” Shiro said merrily. 

Keith fought the urge to shield his eyes from how bright Shiro appeared just then. He was sure it was a combination of the sunlight filtering into their room and Shiro’s smile and energy at far too early an hour and not that Shiro was actually using his paladin powers to radiate light to blind him. 

“Mornin’,” Keith mumbled as he gave a stretch in bed before sitting up. 

“I thought you were more of a morning person,” Shiro said as he sat on his bed opposite Keith’s to put his boots on. 

“I’m good at pretending when I need to be. And this has to be one of the best beds I’ve slept on in weeks,” Keith said as he swung his legs out of the bed and stood to start searching for something clean to wear. 

“Then I’m sorry you were woken up so early. But it does mean you’ll be in time for breakfast.” 

Keith wasn’t sure he would pick breakfast oversleep but it looked like Shiro and the wolf did since they were both up and seemed ready to go. 

“Just give me a minute and I’ll be ready to go.” 

“Of course. Do you need me to lead you back to the dining hall or could you find it yourself? I wanted to speak to the head paladin here before he got too busy,” Shiro said. 

“I should manage.” And if he got lost, he was sure there would be an initiate or paladin around he could ask. 

“I’ll see you down there then. I’ll take the wolf with me and see that he gets some time outside and proper food.” Shiro knelt down to pet the wolf whose tail wagged excitedly at the attention and possibly the words. Keith still didn’t know how much of their conversations the wolf could understand and all Shiro would say was that he was certainly smarter than any normal beast in this realm but that he was still quite young.

“Alright. Behave wolf. No snacking on paladin boots or peeing on initiate robes, okay?” Not that he thought the wolf would do any of that but it felt like the sort of thing someone would say to their pet before they went off in a new place. 

The wolf just wagged his tail some more, head cocked in either confusion or amusement before turning around disappearing. 

“Let’s hope he’s just on the other side,” Shiro said before opening the door and spotting the wolf sitting there. They both gave a sigh of relief at that and Keith waved Shiro off so he could finish getting ready. 

He’d trust Shiro to be able to keep an eye on the wolf, even if he was from another dimension and could now teleport around. 

But just in case… he’d go as fast as he could. 

Which apparently meant running headlong into a poor initiate as soon as he was dressed and leaving his room. He brought his hands up to help steady the young woman who looked like she might fall. 

“Sorry. Are you okay?” Keith asked.

“Yes. I’m fine. And there’s no need for you to rush so. I promise you. In the temple, we’re all safe and warm.” 

“Yeah… uh… I was actually supposed to meet a friend at breakfast. I didn’t want to be late.” 

“Would you like me to show you to the dining hall?” 

Keith really couldn’t say the people here were unkind but they still put him on edge. Unfortunately, he really could use the help in finding his way through the maze that was the temple so he reluctantly nodded. “If you don’t mind.” 

“Of course not. We’re here to help. Atlas helps all whether the problems are big or small.” She gave him a small smile before gesturing for him to follow and leading his way to the dining hall. 

They were just rounding what Keith had hoped was the last corner when his guide froze and then gave a small bow. Keith looked around her and then relaxed when he saw who it was. 

“Oh, you’re here. I was just coming to find you,” Shiro said. He gave a nod to the initiate as he walked up beside them. “Thanks for helping my friend. I know how temple halls can be to those not used to them.”

 

“It was no trouble at all, Shiro. Though I’m sure you’ve never had problems with temple halls.” 

“You’d be surprised. Thank you again,” Shiro said with a light laugh. But it was also clearly a dismissal and the initiate gave another small bow before leaving to continue whatever duties Keith had interrupted. 

“Everyone has such high praise for you and your abilities,” Keith said. Surely even Shiro was a new and lost initiate at some point. 

“I’ve built up a bit of a reputation over the years. But that doesn’t mean I’m as infallible as everyone likes to think,” Shiro said. 

“Maybe. But you’re clearly the strongest out of them, right? Every paladin we’ve met looks up to you. Even the leader here wanted to speak with you.” 

“We all have our strengths and weaknesses. And as for the head of the temple… well, we can talk after breakfast. Which we should get to before Lance lets the wolf eat all of our food,” Shiro said.

Keith nodded, he knew nobody was perfect all of the time but he was pretty sure that Shiro was probably close to it. And then Shiro’s other words sunk in. “You left the wolf with Lance?!” That just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. He wouldn’t have been worried a few days ago but now that the wolf was getting more and more confident with his teleporting Keith didn’t even really trust himself with the wolf. 

“Exactly,” Shiro said with a laugh and then turned to head back down the hall he’d just come from.

Keith jogged a bit to catch up to him when he realized he was being left behind and hoped that the dining hall was still in one piece and the wolf was still around. He didn’t want to play hide and seek with a teleporting mystic wolf in a temple as large as this one

 

-0--0--0-

“Alright wolf, ready? Go get it!” Keith yelled as he tossed the stick. The wolf turned to watch it go and then looked back at Keith, head tilted to the side in obvious question. 

“We’ve been over this. You’re supposed to go get it and bring it back. It’s a game,” Keith said.

The wolf continued to stare at him. Keith gave a huff and walked over to where the stick was and brought it back to the wolf whose tail was now wagging as he watched him return. “This is supposed to be your role, not mine.” 

He’d been trying for far too long already to get the wolf to play but he didn’t really have much else to do. He thought about going to the library to read but even with Shiro around, the temple just felt odd to him so he had headed out to the garden behind the temple that led down to the rocky beach and the lake. He was hoping some light exercise would be good for both him and the wolf. 

“Alright, let’s try this one more time. See the stick? Smells good, right?” He held the stick under the wolf’s nose who dutifully sniffed it yet again. And when he held it up the wolf watched its movement. But he didn’t get too excited, the wolf had done this the previous six times. “Seventh time lucky. Go get it!” 

Keith sighed and slumped slightly as the wolf just stared at him expectantly. “It’s your job to get it, not mine,” Keith huffed out but went to retrieve the stick anyway. 

“That’s an interesting way to play fetch,” Shiro said as he stepped out into the garden. 

Keith threw the stick at him that Shiro of course caught. “He’s in training.” 

“I see it’s going well. Hello, Wolf,” Shiro said. He knelt down to pet the wolf’s head and handed over the stick to him which he happily took and began chomping on. 

“We’ll get there.” 

“I’m sure you will. Do you have a moment to talk?” Shiro asked as he glanced around the empty garden. 

“Sure. What about? Does the temple want you to stay?” Keith could admit to being slightly worried that Shiro would be called back to serve Atlas directly and not through his quest to help Keith with his problems. 

“Temples always want me to stay. But I told them I’m on a mission to help you and they understand.” 

Keith nodded, tension he didn’t even realize he had leaving him. 

“But I was hoping to extend our stay. Perhaps just by a day? Two at most.” 

“Oh?” 

“It’s a feeling I have…” Shiro started and then stopped, looking down at the wolf and giving him another pat. “It’s hard to describe.” 

“Like something isn’t right here?” 

“Yes. Everyone is still going through all of the motions that everyone in a temple of Atlas should be doing but it just doesn’t ring true somehow.” 

“It felt like this when I came through the first time. I told you that everyone was nice enough but something about the temple made me feel uncomfortable. I almost considered trying to find a different path to help my people. But Altas still seemed like the best option. I just had to hope your temple was better. And it was.” 

“I don’t suppose you could explain how? I’m afraid I may be too close to the problem to see it.” 

Keith thought about it a moment and while some of it was hard to name or pinpoint there was one thing that stood out that he could actually describe. “I think the main temple is actually less strict. Or formal. Everyone here seems a bit more indoctrinated…” He didn’t want to come across rude sounding but there were times when the people here seemed to lose their personality. 

“How so?” Shiro asked. 

“Like.. does Atlas really tell people that if they come to their temple they’ll be safe and warm?” It sounded ridiculous to him even a temple could offer temporary shelter that would keep someone safe and warm. But it wasn’t really useful in the day-to-day. 

“Safe and warm? That sounds familiar. But it’s not something that Atlas teaches. At least not in those exact words.” 

“I’ve heard it several times already. And I know I heard it last time, too. Are they just reading Atlas’ books differently?” 

“No. And it’s not something they were doing the last time I came here. Maybe it’s the key to figuring out just what’s going on. I think even Iverson said that to me.” 

Keith frowned. It wasn’t good if the head paladin was also tied up in what was wrong with the temple. “Is it a curse again?” 

“I don’t see how it could be with so many trained paladins on hand. But between the tasks asked of me, I’ll see if I can sense anything. Would you be open to looking around a little? And staying until we can solve this?”

“Of course. And I know how strongly temples can influence the people around them. It’d be unwise to leave the city before we know what this is or what the goal is.” Keith needed to protect his people from Zarkon’s army but he couldn’t live with himself if he did so on the back of the people working at the temple and living around it. He just had to hope they could figure out what was going on in a few days time. 

“Thank you. I will find a way to repay you generosity, Keith,” Shiro said. He stood and took one of Keith’s hands in both of his and brought it to his lips to give the back of it a soft kiss. 

Keith tried not to blush and was sure he failed. It wasn’t romantic, he shouldn’t be worked up over it, but it was still embarrassing and he hoped that was all Shiro took it as. “Yo-you’re already doing so much for me. You don’t owe me anything, Shiro.” 

“I can owe who I choose. And I choose to owe you one.” Shiro gave his hand another kiss before letting it go. “I need to get back. I’ll look for you at lunch, though I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to talk. I have a feeling this is something we should keep between us for now.” 

“Agreed. Even Lance was quoting that stuff at us and he seemed like a pretty normal initiate until he did it.” A bit of an annoying one but still a pretty normal guy. At least until he started quoting words that shouldn’t be nearly as creepy as they sounded when everyone kept saying it to him. 

“With even Iverson and the other tp paladins saying it whatever is affecting everyone, it must be strong. Which makes me think again it’s not a standard curse. But I’ll look anyway just to be sure.” 

“Alright. Take care.” 

“You, too. And bring the wolf. He seems fond of you so if you encounter any troubles he’s likely to save you now that his teleporting is growing stronger.” 

“You think he’s fond? He wouldn’t even play fetch,” Keith said though he did reach out to pat the wolf and that got him a tail wag. 

“He’s not a domesticated dog. His ideas of fun and games will be different. I’m sure once he’s feeling better, he’ll try to rope you into one of them. Just remember, he’s smarter than he appears to us.” 

Keith would have to try and remember that. And before he could ask just what sort of games mystic wolves played and if Shiro had ever played any, the temple bells chimed the start of the next hour. 

“I need to go. I’ll look for you at lunch.” 

Keith watched Shiro head back into the temple and wondered if he was more worried or relieved that it wasn’t just him that thought something was wrong here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got a little away from me and ended up being a little over 12k so I divided into two parts and increased the expected chapter count by one. The next part will be up once I've finished editing it so hopefully, it won't take too long.


	6. Purification

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Keith decide the only way forward is to purify the temple and get the other paladins to help them. But it's not without its risks.

Keith heard the door to their room open and close and looked over at the wolf whose ears had perked up. But as he put his head back down on his paws, Keith turned back to the view of the lake. If the wolf wasn’t concerned, neither was he. 

“Keith?” Shiro called after a couple of minutes. 

“Here.” 

“Sorry to make you stay up so late. Some worshippers came in that needed help and I offered to assist them.” 

Keith’s lips twitched at hearing that. He bet there were plenty of other on-duty paladins that could have assisted them but of course, Shiro would have volunteered. And it wasn’t even that Shiro didn’t trust others to do their job, he had shown that he did, it was just that Shiro liked to be useful. 

“It’s fine. Though it’s a bit cold and dark out tonight. I hope nothing bad happens,” Keith said and then waited, watching Shiro closely. 

“Really? It seems fine to me. And I know we haven’t known each other long but since when does nighttime make you uncomfortable?” Shiro asked coming up beside him to lean on the railing. 

“I’m not. I just wanted to test you out. Make sure whatever is infecting the others didn’t get to you. Anytime I mentioned feeling uncomfortable or nervous paladins and initiates would always tell me how it was warm and safe at the temple.”

Shiro cringed slightly at the words but nodded. “I’m really starting to dislike hearing that phrase. Now that it’s been pointed out, I can’t stop noticing how often people use it.”

“I know you were busy with paladin duties but did you find any leads?” 

“I couldn’t detect anything that might lead to a curse. No energy signatures leading to or from the temple that shouldn’t be there. And I didn’t see anything in the main temple room or the head office.” 

“So probably not a curse?” Keith asked. He was pretty disappointed since he thought that was their best lead and having faced one curse this trip, he felt better prepared to face a second one. 

“I don’t think so. I could cast a purification on the people in the temple but that’s assuming that they would let me do it. And it wouldn’t guarantee that we actually fixed the problem. The infection or whatever it is could return as soon as we leave.”

Shiro sounded so frustrated that Keith reached out to put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “We’re not leaving until we know the people here are safe. So if you think you can do the purification, maybe you should do it. We could get the freed paladins to help us and it might lead whoever has done this out of hiding,” Keith said. 

“I know I can do it. But a temple this large, it might leave me feeling a bit weak for a few hours after, especially if I have to put up protective barriers while I do it.” 

“You really think we’ll be attacked if we try to do it?” 

“I don’t know. But I know I’m not going to take that risk.”

“Should we risk the purification then?” Keith asked. He hated not being knowledgeable when it came to spiritual rituals and magic but the world was vast and as a prince he had spent most of his life narrowly studying things that would help him lead his people. He would have plenty of advisors to help him with things he didn’t know directly so hadn’t really worried about things he didn’t know. He’d already learned so much on this trip to Atlas but he knew he still didn’t know everything about the world. 

“I’m not sure. It’s best done at sunset so maybe we can give ourselves until then to decide. See if we can uncover anything else before then,” Shiro suggested. 

Keith was about to agree when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye down by the lake. He leaned over a little to get a better look. They had no torches or lights but the moon was nearly full and there was enough light for him to see enough to make out the number of people and that they were all paladins. 

“Why would paladins be out at the lake at this hour?” Keith asked, nodding to where he was looking. 

“I don’t know. But that looks like the head paladin, Sanda, there.”

“Atlas is more of a sun god, right?”

“They have no true preference between day and night but there are also no special rituals I know of that would require that many paladins out by the lake at this hour,” Shiro said, obviously knowing where Keith was going with his line of questioning. 

“Maybe we’ve fo-Duck,” Keith said. He yanked Shiro down just as a paladin turned to look back at the temple. 

Keith was suddenly glad he didn’t bring a light out onto the balcony with him as he and Shiro crouched close together and tried to make out what was happening through the decorative details cut into the barrier of the balcony. 

The wolf popped his head up over the railing and the paladin easily caught sight of the glowing parts of the mystic wolf. There was a tense moment as Keith watched the paladin through a cut out in the railing of the balcony and wondered if the paladin would suspect they were out there, too. But just when Keith thought the tension of waiting would get to him, the paladin turned back around to focus on what he was doing with the others. “Good boy,” Keith said quietly as he reached over to give the wolf’s side a good pat. 

It seemed the paladins weren’t worried about an animal, even a fancy one, watching them. And knowing the wolf was out on the balcony would make them overlook any small noises that he and Shiro might have made. 

The wolf sat back down and looked over at him, eyes glowing a soft yellow in dark. 

“If we’re lucky, maybe their voices will drift up to us. People always forget how much sound travels on a still lake like this,” Keith said. 

“Experience?” 

“Unfortunately… and I was the one getting caught. At least the first couple of times until one of the guards made the mistake of telling me why I was always getting caught,” Keith said. 

“You’ll have to tell me more next ti-” Shiro abruptly cut himself off as they heard splashing coming from the lake. But it wasn’t from the paladins or anything they were doing. 

“Nemea’s Tail,” Keith cursed quietly as he watched several creatures rise out of the water and swim toward the paladins. 

“Mermaids,” Shiro said looking both awed and horrified. 

“Why are mermaids talking to the paladins?”

Mermaids were sentient creatures but quite vicious and tended to only mix with land dwellers when wanting the sport of catching them for entertainment or dubious rituals that Keith really preferred to not think about. They also had their own deities so they would have no need of Atlas unless their gods had also forsaken them.

“I think they’re brainwashing them,” Shiro said and then held a finger up to his own lips to forestall Keith asking more questions and that’s when Keith heard the words drifting up to them. 

“Thank you for your kindness. We’ll make sure you all stay safe and warm because of it,” The mermaid in the front of the group said. 

“We enjoy being safe and warm,” The Sanda said back. 

She and the other paladins then started handing baskets over to the mermaids. Keith couldn’t see what was inside but he didn’t think it would be food. Human food tended not to do well in water and the large lake had to offer better food for mermaids anyway. 

“Oh… that’s not good,” Shiro said and when Keith glanced over at him, his eyes were glowing slightly. 

“What is it?” 

“Holy tokens. Though I’m sure there are jewels and possibly weapons in there, too,” Shiro said. He blinked and his eyes were back to normal. 

“What should we do? Go down there?” 

“No. It’s too dangerous to just storm in with no plan. And by the time we get there, they’ll probably be gone anyway.”

Keith hated it, but Shiro was right. “Okay. So the purification?” 

“Yes. We’ll need the others to help. And hopefully, they’ll remember what the mermaids requested of them once the mind control is lifted. I’ve dealt with mermaids before but never on a scale this large.” 

“What do you think they’re doing?” Keith asked. 

“I think they’re planning on going to war... But with another school of mermaids or the humans of the city I couldn’t say,” Shiro said. He sighed and rested his head against the wall of the balcony, eyes still watching as the paladins and mermaids seemed to exchange pleasantries but possibly could have just been cementing mind control and relaying more orders. Only a few words drifted up to them and it was more frustrating than hearing nothing at all. 

“We’ll fix this, Shiro. Once the mind control is lifted, we’ll have more people to help,” Keith said and once again reached out to touch Shiro’s shoulder the way Shiro liked to do to for others. 

“You’re right. I just feel like I should have seen this.” 

“You can’t be everywhere at once. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Like you said, nobody is perfect.” 

“I guess you have been listening to me,” Shiro said. 

“Of course I have. You’re more than a pretty face, Shiro,” Keith said teasing and then realized what he said and was extremely grateful that the darkness would cover most of his blush. 

“Pretty?” 

“It-It’s an expression.”

“I see… well, I’m glad you like me for my mind, too.” 

Keith was rather partial to Shiro’s strength, too. But he managed not to blur that out. “And what does that well-trained mind say we should do next?” 

Shiro looked back out at the lake to where the paladins and mermaids were still talking and then sighed. “Wait for them to finish up and then head to bed. I think we’ll have to keep our heads down tomorrow until I can cast the purification and then hopefully the paladins can explain what has been happening and can help me stop it.” 

As plans went, it wasn’t very exciting but he nodded and settled a bit more comfortably beside Shiro, only half watching the lake. They’d seen all they had to see but they couldn’t leave since opening the door would risk flooding the balcony with light and give them away. 

“Anything you need me to do?” 

“The library is quite extensive here. If you could try to discreetly find some books on mermaids to look over it might give us a better understanding of what’s going on. In cases like these, information never hurts. If you think it’s too risky, you can at least plan the next part of our journey” 

“Alright. I can handle that. And I’m pretty good at sneaking around.”

Shiro shot him a curious look and Keith couldn’t help but grin. “Nannies, tutors, butlers, bodyguards… they all get a bit tedious after a while. Sometimes I just need space. So I learned a long time ago how to sneak away and into places I probably shouldn’t have been.” 

“I feel sorry for all those that had to keep you in one place. But I’m also thankful for those skills. They’ll be useful tomorrow.”

There were splashes coming from the water and Keith watched as the mermaids moved further back out into the lake before diving under. “I guess the meeting is over.” 

“Looks that way. We’ll let them head back in and give it a few more minutes before doing the same.” 

“I still can’t believe the temple is having mermaid problems.”

“It does seem like something they should have been able to handle. One of the reasons the temple has been able to remain in such a beautiful location is because of the danger that comes along with being so close to the water. Mermaids are just one of many creatures that have plagued the temple in its past.” 

“I think before you leave you should mention to the head guy to study the temple’s history again and be better prepared for future problems.”

“Hopefully he can tell us what happened once the mind control is gone. But I’m sure everyone will be better prepared for the next problem.”

“They better be. They might not be so lucky next time,” Keith said. And then checking over the garden and lake the best he could for anyone he stood up and checked again. “Let’s head in. I’m going to need sleep if I’ll be reading all day. And I bet you do to for the purification.” 

“I will. I’ll need a good night’s sleep tomorrow also to help with any lingering effects.” 

“If it takes out of you more than that, I’ll watch your back to make sure you stay safe.” 

“Thanks,” Shiro said before heading back into their room to start getting ready. 

Nudging the wolf back into the room, Keith followed and made sure to focus on his own clothes and not the man on the other side of the room as he got ready for bed, too. 

-0-0-0-0-0-

As the bell tolled for evening service, Keith looked around the quiet library and was pleased with himself for actually managing to stay out of trouble. He had desperately wanted to search for books about mermaids but with how helpful and observant the library staff had been thought that was a bit too risky so instead had asked the helpful initiate working as a librarian if they had any books on his mystic wolf and when that had only yielded a few pages in one book he had shifted his search to demons and ways they might be able to fight off Zarkon. If he couldn’t help Shiro and the temple with their problem, he could at least look into solving other ones.

The librarian had been very understanding of his cause and more than happy to help him search the extensive library for any books that might help. So while not an exciting way to spend the day, Keith felt he’d accomplished his goal to stay under the radar and even managed to learn a few things that might help his people. 

As the bell finished chiming he gave a large languid stretch and looked over at the wolf who was napping nearby. “If you’re going to stick around, we really should figure out a name for you,” Keith said causing the wolf’s ear to twitch. 

“Come on, Wolf, let’s go and see if we can find Shiro at the service.” He stood and started straightening the books out, preparing to return them when a paladin came by. 

“Are you finished for the day?” She asked. 

“Yes. Though I was wondering if you could set these ones aside. I might be back tomorrow.” He wasn’t quite sure of Shiro’s plans or what might come of tonight but if he was forced to have another day of inaction, he could at least set aside the books that seemed interesting. 

“Of course. Though from what I understood, you’re in a bit of a hurry to get to where you’re going,” The paladin said. 

“I am. But Shiro has a soft heart and when the leader here asked him to help with some things… well, I don’t mind taking a day or two to rest and do some reading. The next part of the journey will be a long one so it’s not a horrible idea to take a break here,” He said with a straight face. Lies were easier when there was more than a bit of truth to them. 

It’s a good idea to take advantage of the safe and warm temple while you can,” The paladin said with a smile as she finished collecting all of the books. “Shiro has always been like that. I sometimes think he stretches himself too thin but he seems to be enjoying his travels with you. And while the higher paladins might think he should stay focused on the temples, I think it’s good he gets out to see the world,” She said conversationally as she walked with Keith back toward the door of the library. 

“Yeah. I got that impression. He must be really good at what he does for everyone to want his help and to keep him cloistered.” It was a weird mix of reverence, protectiveness, and reliance that Keith still didn’t fully understand. He chalked it up to it being a paladin thing he just didn’t get and tried not to think too much about it. 

“You could say that. Anyway, are you sure you wouldn’t like to borrow a book for the night?” She set the stack of books on the desk and held up one of the ones that Keith had asked to be put aside. 

He didn’t think he’d have much time to read and he wasn’t sure if carrying around a book would get in the way and he really didn’t want to think about what would happen if he had to toss it aside and it got destroyed. Books were precious and he had a feeling that the temple considered them that even more so. 

“I’d love to. But the wolf isn’t exactly house trained and I keep imagining going to take a bath and coming back with the booked chewed to pieces,” Keith said. The wolf gave him a look and huffed and then stuck out his drool covered tongue as if to help make the point of how else a book might get ruined.

“Hmmm I think you may be right. Well, you’re always welcome back in the library. Even with your wolf. I heard after he was finished sniffing around and scaring the visitors he was content to just sit and nap by you.” 

“Sorry about the scaring thing. Now that he’s feeling better I’m starting to see more of his personality.” 

“As long as he doesn’t ruin the books, I don’t really care about anything. Just don’t tell the leader that.” She gave a wink and then leaned down to pet the wolf who gave her hand a sniff and then leaned into the touch. “I should let you head to the temple. I assume you were on our way to join Shiro there?” 

“That was the plan. But I might have to settle for sneaking in the back and meeting him after.” 

“You probably won’t be the only one to show up late for evening service. Nobody will be offended if you do. It’s just part of being in a busy temple.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your help, Paladin.” Keith gave a nod of his head and left the library. He checked to make sure his knife was strapped to his back like it had been all day. He had gotten a few looks and reminders that it was safe and warm at the temple and he didn’t need to arm himself but he just passed it off as habit and a sentimental object. 

When he reached the doors he hesitated for a moment, he could hear the prayers going on and he wasn’t sure if he should wait for a break in them or sneak in now. He was just reaching for the handle to open the door enough to peek into when he was crashed into from behind. 

His hand was already on his knife when he realized it was the talkative initiate from the first day. “Lance?” He asked. He hoped he wasn’t under a poorly executed attack and would have to harm the young man opposite him. 

“Move, Keith. I’m late. This is the third time this week. I’m going to be in so much trouble if Sanda catches me.” He nudged Keith out of the way and opened the door just a crack and waited a moment before squeezing through a small opening and making his way quietly into a bench. 

Keith shook his head lightly as he watched the strange man settle into the service as if he’d been there the whole time. But it did help Keith decide it was okay to slip in as long as he didn’t make a scene. 

He waited until everyone was distracted listening to Sanda tell one of those stories that ended in a happy moral and slipped into a bench near the back that had plenty of space of him and his wolf at the aisle. 

He was just starting to lose focus since moralistic stories were never his favourite when Sanda finished her tale and introduced a guest speaker. 

“I’m sure many of you already know him, but we’re honoured to have Paladin Shiro visiting our temple for a few days and he has agreed to do this evening’s final blessing for us,” Sanda said. Shiro stood and moved to the dais and Sanda gave him a small bow before moving to her decorated chair nearby. 

The deference that Shiro received was still strange but he didn’t have time to think about it. This was clearly when Shiro planned on doing whatever purification trick he was going to do. He had mentioned at lunch that he had asked to do the final blessing tonight and would do it then. That meant that Keith had to get the front of the hall but do it without alerting anyone. 

He glanced down at his wolf who looked back up at him. “Think you can get me to Shiro?” He asked in a whisper as he leaned down closer to the wolf’s ears. 

Keith rested a hand on the wolf and looked up at Shiro who was clearly channeling his energy for the ‘blessing’ as his eyes were starting to glow. When Shiro’s eyes focused in on him and gave a small nod, Keith nodded back. “Now,” He said. 

It had been a risk and he hadn’t known what to expect but one moment he was sitting on the bench and the next he was falling to his butt on the dais as the bench was gone. To be honest, he may have fallen anyway. He felt as if he had just been scattered apart and put back together. 

The wolf leaned in to lick his face and he gave him an ear scratch before slowly making it to his feet. He moved to Shiro’s side and for the first time noticed the weird hazy shift going on around them. He reached out to touch it when a hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled it down. 

“Don’t. It’s set to give anyone who touches it a little zap. Just get ready for anyone who might get through or unexpected problems. And be quiet,” Shiro said hastily before starting to mumble to himself in some language that Keith didn’t know. 

It was then that he also realized that whatever shield Shiro had around them also affected noise. He could see people talking and even a few that were clearly yelling but it all sounded so muffled and far away as if there were several walls between them. 

With Shiro focused on the purification spell, Keith kept a sharp eye on all that was going outside of their bubble. Sanda was rounding up what seemed to be the senior paladins who were clearly confused about what was going on. Shiro was their hero, he surely wouldn’t be here to hurt them. But the shield and focused chanting had to be giving them all the wrong impression that Shiro was about to blast them with holy light or something. 

Keith didn’t know if he felt disappointed or impressed when Sanda got the paladins to form a chain around them and start their own chanting. Keith suspected it was to set up their own barrier or take down theirs. He just knew it wasn’t good and hoped that Shiro finished his spell first. 

Past the ring of senior paladins, he saw some paladins and initiatives bowing down as if in prayer or acceptance while others were clearly distressed and panicking. He noticed that a few people had run for the doors but they weren’t opening. Keith wondered how Shiro had managed that trick and hoped that everyone didn’t need to be in this room to be purified as the nice librarian wasn’t here. 

He wanted to tell Shiro what was happening as his eyes were now closed but he knew he shouldn’t disturb him, instead, he focused on being prepared for whatever might come. In the worst case scenario, he hoped that the wolf might be able to help them again but he didn’t want to rely on that. 

Keith held his knife up in front of him, ready to defend Shiro just in case anyone got through the protective barrier. It was currently an uncomfortable standoff and each second, he felt more power filling the air as weird static electricity. His hair was practically standing on end and he had a desire to either bow down or flee much like those in the temple.

He gritted his teeth and clutched his knife tighter. No matter what was happening, he wouldn’t fail Shiro and his desire to help his fellow paladins of Atlas. 

Just as the barrier around them was becoming so bright that Keith thought it would shatter or they’d be forced to bring it down themselves or risk harm, Shiro moved, his eyes opening to reveal how they were glowing a vivid white. 

Shiro put his arms out in front of him, palms clasped together and Keith swore there was a hint of a smirk on his lips as he looked out at the paladins in front of him. The look made Keith shiver and he wasn’t sure if it was fear, arousal, or something else.

“Purify!” Shiro shouted out before Keith could think further on the look. Shiro pulled his hands apart and the barrier instantly fell as a white and purple light shot through the room and possibly beyond. 

Keith moved in front of Shiro to protect him before he even registered that most of the people in the room had collapsed or were barely keeping to their feet as Shiro’s power washed through them. He couldn’t take the chance of one of them resisting the purification or thinking that Shiro had harmed them all and retaliating when Shiro was potentially weakened from the major spell casting. 

“It’s alright, Keith. They won’t hurt me,” Shiro said, a large hand falling onto his shoulder. 

Keith hesitated a moment before looking over his shoulder at Shiro. “Are you okay?” 

“A little tired. Nothing a meal and a short rest won’t fix. You?” His eyes still held a hint of the glow of power making it harder for Keith to see them properly and judge just how honest he was being. 

“I’m not the one who just purified a whole temple. And don’t downplay the power it took. All those paladins couldn’t even break your barrier,” Keith said gesturing to the paladins around them who were mostly conscious but on their knees still trying to catch their breath. 

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Shiro said and Keith gave him a look. He was sure there was more than practice there. Maybe Shiro was just especially blessed by Atlas and didn’t like talking about it. It had to be a lot of pressure being a god’s champion. It would explain why the other paladins treated him so respectfully, too. 

“He’s also exceptionally powerful,” The paladin leader, Sanda, said as she struggled to get up from her knees and back to standing. 

“I noticed that.” Keith doubted anyone else would be standing after such a spell, even if Shiro did look as if he was holding himself a bit more rigidly than usual. Hopefully, they could move to somewhere more comfortable and get him some food soon. 

“What happened?” Sanda asked. 

“I was hoping you could tell me that,” Shiro said. He locked his dark grey eyes, only a hint of light purple glow remaining to them, onto Sanda. They stared at each other for a long moment seeming to communicate in some way that Keith couldn’t even hope to understand before Shiro blinked and turned to look back over the temple. “Set those capable of moving to helping and comforting the others. There should be no lasting side effects but some might be feeling tired or confused as things settle.” 

“Of course,” Sanda said and gestured to the paladins around them who had easily heard what Shiro said. They all nodded and struggled to their feet or helped others to theirs and then were slowly making their way off the dais to help the rest of the temple out. 

“Won’t they want to know what happened?” Keith asked. 

“I’ll tell them later if I deem it necessary and they don’t remember figure things out for themselves. For now, they have to have faith in me and Atlas,” Sanda said. 

Keith couldn’t imagine blindly following like that but he supposed that’s what it meant to be a priest or paladin. Even being a soldier or knight meant following orders without really questioning them. Probably why despite it being a popular boyhood fantasy, those jobs had lost its appeal. Keith knew he had trouble with authority most of the time and while he could follow rules when he had to, he couldn’t do so blindly when he thought something was stupid. 

“Don’t make that face, Keith. You’ll offend the gods,” Shiro said. Keith rolled his eyes and Sanda snorted into her hand. 

“Come. Let’s retire to my office and we’ll see if we can sort the mess out. I’m sorry that you came here for rest and had to help us like this,” Sanda said leading them off the dais slowly and going for a side door. 

“It’s what I’m here for. And compared to riding all day and sleeping on the ground, this was a rest. Trust me.” 

“The food’s been pretty good, too,” Keith said. Not Hunk level baking but having hot well-balanced meals three times a day and not having to make anything themselves was a luxury. 

“I’m glad we were suitably accommodating even when we had other issues at our door,” Sanda said. 

They all took a moment to settle into his office, Keith looking around curiously at everything on display before focusing back on the leader of the temple. 

“So what do you remember? You seem to know why we came,” Shiro said. 

“It’s odd. It feels like I remember everything at first but then I try to figure out why I feel a bit off and I realize there are blank spaces in my memory.” 

“I hope it doesn’t make you feel scared or give you the chills or like you’re in danger,” Keith said wanting to test out that Sanda really had been purified and it wasn’t a ruse. Though if it was a ruse perhaps they could keep from saying the ingrained catchphrase that had come to haunt Keith in his short stay here.

“Not scared. But it is troublesome. We’re supposed to be the ones protecting the people and the city and it seems we have fallen just as easily as anyone else,” Sanda said with a frown. 

“Don’t worry, old friend, mermaids have a way of catching people unaware, even the best-trained paladins can overlook something so subtle,” Shiro said. And Keith thought he was being rather kind since they noticed something was wrong right away. But maybe it had infected Sanda and the high ranking paladins first and the others didn’t realize until it was too late? 

“Mermaids? Those vile creatures usually keep to themselves in the lake. I wonder what drove them to bother us.”

“That’s what we were hoping you’d be able to tell us. We saw you and several other paladins at the lake last night talking to them. It seemed like you were handing things over, too.” 

“I’m not sure what. I’ll task some paladins to look around and see if they notice anything missing or unaccounted for. It bothers me that I don’t remember what happened in those moments with the mermaids but can remember nearly everything I did today in perfect clarity.” 

“Their mind control works in odd ways. And I don’t think it wise we subject people to it just to learn more about it. Though, I suppose you could interview everyone here and compile their experiences. I’m sure there would be more than one scholar eager to get their hands on those findings,” Shiro said. 

Keith couldn’t imagine wanting to sit down and read through stacks of reports about the mundane lives of an initiate just looking for anything that stood out as mind control. But then he had found his schooling to be tedious at best and had only ever attended it at all because Kolivan wouldn’t teach him how to fight unless he studied first and his tutor approved it. And if Kolivan wouldn’t train with him than none of the other Blades would. And if the special guard wouldn’t train with him than none of the soldiers in the castle would either. Kolivan's incentive had certainly worked better than most of his parents' had. 

“I’m sure those records may prove useful in the future to reminding paladins of the dangers of mermaids but we still need to make sure the temple is safe for now,” Keith said. 

“You’re right. I can’t guarantee I completely purified everyone, especially the further away people were from me. But we should have enough people to confront the mermaids and drive them back. Make them abandon whatever plans they had.” 

“Is it wise to just drive them back? Perhaps a more permanent solution? Or we could lure them in and find out what they were doing?” Sanda asked. 

“Normally, I would consider capturing one and seeing if we could find answers but the temple’s defences have been weakened and I’m not sure we should trust a mermaid around any of us right now in case the compulsion takes over again,” Shiro said. 

“And killing them?” Keith had never fought a mermaid before but if they were taking over people’s minds that seemed like a good enough reason to start. 

“I know they took advantage of us but as far as we know, nobody has been harmed. I can’t justify killing a pod of mermaids just because they indulged in too much mischief. Driving them back will work as a warning and hopefully be enough to keep them from returning for a long time.” 

Keith nodded and after a moment Sanda did, too. 

“When do you want to do this?” 

“We’ll need time to recover and go over the spellwork. I’ll want to make as long as a chain as we can with the paladins who are trained and strong enough to handle the protection spell I want to use,” Shiro said. 

Already Keith could tell he wouldn’t be needed for this. He sighed a little. He hated being stuck on the sidelines and as the only son of the royal family, he was often stuck on the sidelines. At least this time it was just because he lacked the magical abilities required and not because Shiro felt the need to protect him. 

“It’s not so late yet. How about we call a meeting for those I think suitable and then we have an early night. A dawn casting would be strongest for protection spells unless you wanted to wait for sunset again.” Sanda pulled out a scroll that held a long list of name and then picked up a pen and a paper and began copying names over. 

“Dawn will work. Call the meeting for two hours. I need to rest a bit and I’ll also make a couple of copies of the spells and sigils I want to work with.”

“Let’s meet back in the great room in two hours. I’ll have everyone you need and make sure we have refreshments on hand.” 

“Good. I’ll see you then Sanda.” Shiro stood and the two clasped each other’s forearms before Shiro let go and turned to him. 

“Is going back to our room okay?” He asked. 

Keith nodded and stood from his chair gesturing for the wolf to come with him as they left Sanda in her office. 

“Is it normal to forget things like Sanda said she did?” Keith asked quietly as they headed down the hall to their room. 

“Yes. It’s a defensive move of the mermaids and a smart one. You don’t want people to remember what you told them to do when they wouldn’t normally do it on their own. I think if they lifted the spell themselves a person would never notice the missing moments of time.” 

“So why do they notice it from a purification?” 

Shiro blushed slightly before looking away so Keith couldn’t see just how red he was getting though it didn’t really work. It was sort of adorable. “Possibly because I lack the finesse of a mermaid. My method was possibly a bit forceful. But manipulations of people’s minds is not where my power lies,” Shiro said.

Keith chuckled a little at what was obviously an attempt to excuse his hamfisted approach to purifying the compulsion but Keith didn’t really care. It had worked and nobody seemed worse off because of it. Or at least wouldn’t be once they got some rest. And it’s not like they had time to stick around and figure out a fancier way to solve things. 

It worked. That’s what matters,” Keith said reaching over to give Shiro a pat on the arm. He might be amused but it didn’t mean he still wasn’t impressed. “Are you okay heading straight back to our room or did you need something to eat or drink?” Keith didn’t know a lot about magic and such but he did know it tended to burn a lot of energy and sleep or food were the best ways to replenish it. 

“I’ll eat at the meeting. Which you’re welcome to attend if you want,” Shiro said. 

“I’m not sure I’ll have much to add since it sounds like the solution to the mermaid problem is to use more paladin magic, right?” Keith asked as he opened the door to their room and let Shiro enter first followed by the wolf. 

“Yes. Strong paladin magic. I’m sure it will make for quite the impressive show from the balcony,” Shiro said. 

“Then I’ll stay here. Actually, I might go grab a book from the library I was reading. Just let me know if you need me for anything.” 

“I will. And thank you for your support today, Keith.” 

“It’s not like I did much,” Keith said flopping onto his bed. 

“Sometimes just having someone believe in you is all that you need to accomplish amazing tasks,” Shiro said. “So thank you” 

Keith still didn’t think he earned that thank you but Shiro needed sleep, not to keep arguing with him so he nodded and muttered out a ‘you’re welcome’ before he reached for his bag. 

“Get some rest. I’ll wake you up before your meeting.” He would look over the maps he had for the next part of their journey and maybe pen a letter to his mother to let her know he was alright and still on his way home. The temple would have messenger birds he could use and he didn’t know when he’d next be able to write a letter. 

That decided, he kept half an eye on Shiro getting ready for a short rest as he pulled out his letter writing set from the bottom of his bag and got it set up at the small desk in the room. 

“Sleep well, Shiro,” Keith said as Shiro finally slid into the bed to lay down. 

“Thank you.” Shiro’s voice barely a whisper as sleep quickly pulled him under. 

The magic had been more than impressive but apparently, it wasn’t without its costs. Keith would try to make sure that Shiro didn’t have to exhaust himself like this again on their way home. He wouldn’t want any injury coming to the amazing paladin Atlas had entrusted to him. 

Realizing he had been staring only when the wolf butted his head against his knee, Keith startled and turned back to the desk, one hand moving to idly pet the wolf’s ears as the other picked up the pen and thought about just what to write and how to describe his travelling companions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still using Fantasy Sheith week as my guideline for this fic and this arc was inspired by the prompt 'mermaids'. We didn't get to see much of them but they were definitely behind the mystery and causing all of the problems. 
> 
> I also noticed I referred to Nemea as a wolf in the previous chapter and she's actually a lion goddess to represent the lions from Voltron. orz Whoops. I did fix it but it's a reminder I need to keep better track of my own fantasy elements. 
> 
> Up next will be an encounter with Pidge and I can only hope it ends up shorter than this 2-part adventure did.

**Author's Note:**

> I love kudos and comments so please don't be shy. Also, if you'd like to say hi or see me whining about errant muses, you can find me on twitter [@sagely_sea](https://twitter.com/SagelySea)


End file.
